


Wings of Remnant

by Beowulf_the_Novelborn



Series: The Novelborn's OC Crew [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Original Character(s), POV First Person, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3666621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beowulf_the_Novelborn/pseuds/Beowulf_the_Novelborn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow the Paths of the child of a legendary faunus breed, a child of royalty who dreams of being a huntress, a synthian girl with a big heart, and an avenger with dark power and an even darker past. Watch as they shape the face of the world and take you above and beyond the skylines of Remnant!<br/>Please comment.<br/>(In Memory of Monty Oum, my greatest inspiration.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Descent

Chapter 1: Descent

Eighty years ago, the Great War both shattered and restored Remnant.

Many died during the battles between the Faunus and the humans. And in the aftermath, bonds formed between the humans and Faunus. But old wounds festered, sparking the violent actions of the once peaceful White Fang. Yet some Faunus have been isolated by conflict.

Ask any human or Faunus in civilized Remnant and they'll tell you about the legendary Halcyon Faunus. They say that they fought behind the scenes of the war. But they all supposedly vanished, supposedly driven to extinction in their attempt to stop the war. It wasn't long before the humans and Faunus in Remnant passed the Halcyon off as a mere legend. Despite popular belief, the Halcyons were in fact still real. They had deliberately isolated themselves from humans, abiding in the one refuge where no human could ever survive. Heck the Halcyons did more than survive, they thrived.

The decades passed with bare minimum contact with the outside world, only acting in absolute secrecy. They remained invisible to all. It seemed like the Halcyons would merely be ghosts throughout history. Regardless of what all say, the humans and Faunus (Halcyons included) had a common enemy, the creatures of Grimm. And no one had a stronger hatred for the Grimm than a Huntsman to be.

(Nimbus' workshop, Stratos)

The final touches were being placed on my great masterpiece. Two curved blade formations connected by a pair of perfectly fitting gauntlets. Each gauntlet would serve a different purpose. I flipped the final piece in my hands. This was the most delicate part of all. If I misplaced this piece, even a fraction off, the whole project would come crumbling down. I was not letting this slip past me. This rare crystal was what would give my new weapon the first dating example of a new power source.

One would look at this night-sky blue and star-speckled crystal and say that they had a galaxy in the palm of their hand. I had never spoken a word about that night out by the city's walls when this thing fell from the night sky. It was a Stardust Crystal. I've done solo studies of dust myself and determined countless uses on my own.

Of course the humans and Faunus had already figured this stuff out, like weaving dust into the clothes I wore. But this crystal was different. It didn't have a power nature at all and therefore could not be burned as other dust crystals could, I tried. But there was more to this little piece than meets the eye. This crystal was just what I in particular needed. I took out my tweezers and began to place the now split crystal into both gauntlets. The first went in without a hitch, and I quickly locked it into place. I then moved to place the last one into the chamber.

The door flew open and I yanked the piece back out in surprise. I juggled it in the air for a moment in an attempt to catch it. I then proceeded with the operation and placed the crystal in correctly. Finally, it was finished.

I turned around to face my friendly nemesis. He stood six foot two, a little taller than me, and he had sleek blonde hair with blue highlights on the side. It was surprisingly a good look for him. He wore a blue jacket and black jeans.

"Jay!" I snarled, "I was in the middle of a delicate operation here! You could have ruined over three months of work for me!"

"Of course I knew that. I've heard that you spend every minute you have in here. I just came to wish you luck out there."

I looked over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow, "If you insulted me just now, it slipped over my head."

"No. I'm actually serious this time. The Grimm are getting worse out there. I don't want to see my future rival get eaten alive. I can only hope that you become a proper Huntsman." I smirked quietly. Jay's shirt ruffled and he unfurled the wings on his back, blue on top with a little white and black on the bottom. His blue jay wings (hence his name) were fifteen feet in wingspan. He offered it to me in a traditional "shake" as humans would call it. I hesitated.

"Um, I need to get moving before anyone catches on. You know what I mean." We said our goodbyes for now and we both left. I locked my workshop behind me. I put on my gauntlets and the blades folded up, like that of a mantis.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I passed a shop. I was five foot eleven and a half, I had turned eighteen not but a week ago. I was relatively slim, like all Halcyons were, but don't ever misjudge; we're a lot stronger than we look. My hair was sunset gold-orange and I had a violet streak in the same place that Jay had his blue highlights. I wore blue jeans, a dark blue jacket/trench coat with star designs. My eyes were once hazel, but now my irises are dark blue, almost black, speckled by glimmering white stars…just like the Stardust crystal. I had modeled my jacket off of this design. But my eyes were colored like that because of the crystals.

As I walked down the road with a new purpose, people began to glimpse at me. They knew that something was different about me. I kept going until I was out of the gates of the city and at the edge of the island. Rather it was a  _skyland_. The Halcyons were essentially a breed of bird Faunus, and they had moved to the skyland chain known as Stratos. No humans or any other breed of Faunus could live in the conditions of a skyland over two miles above the earth. Either way, no one would ever find it due to the sea of clouds surrounding it at all times. It was small compared to the kingdoms of Remnant, but it was still a large land mass. I had been cooped up here for my whole life. I wanted to be out there so bad, but everyone knew that I had no way of using dust. That was until I found these crystals. They were my key to survival.

There was a group of hunters and huntress to be out on the edge of the skyland who were now looking at me.

"Seriously? You're going to die out there. Just leave the Grimm to us."

I said not a word as I looked behind me to see the city guards rushing to me.

"Nimbus Altos! Stay right where you are!" they all drew their weapons. I smiled as I unfurled my new wings. My feathers were silver in tine but my flight feathers were comprised of Stardust crystals. They gasped and the leader Icarus stepped forward.

"Are you mad?! Embedding dust into your body is a criminal offense!"

I growled in annoyance, "It's not embedding, Icarus. It's my semblance. I've simply become prepared for my role as a hunter. Ciao!" I mock saluted as I fell backwards into the abyss.

.

I tucked my wings and fell faster towards the earth. I caught myself, exiting my dive and flying ad lightning speed. I arced up the side of a cliff over an area known as the Emerald forest in Vale. It was a hot spot for Grimm.

So I began my prowl, focusing on the ground below me. The good thing about flying is that you can focus on anything away from your trajectory and feel assured that you won't crash into anything. However, when such a situation does arise, it will scare you. As I spotted a quick glimpse of a small Beowolf below, I heard a voice.

"Birdie! No!" I looked to my left to see something that should not be in my airspace: a human girl! She was flying (or maybe she was launched by something, I don't know) and we collided in midair, throwing off both of our trajectories.

We both dropped she was trying desperately to reach a red rifle she was holding, as though it were her only chance of surviving the fall. I hated to do this, but she had already seen me. I snapped open my wings again and pulled up just before we could hit the ground. And I stopped myself by back flipping off of a large oak.

That  _THUMP_  I made when my feet touched the ground seemed to echo. That was the first step I ever took on planet Earth. I folded um my wings inside of my jacket. I looked at the girl who was still koala-hugging me, holding on for dear life. She had short, dark red hair, and she wore a black and red dress with a combat skirt. Around her shoulders was a red cape and hood. She was so adorable, cute in a childish way.

Looking down at me she jumped off with excitement.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" she squealed quietly, "You're a Halcyon!" I immediately clapped my hand over her mouth, shushing her.

"Not a word, Red. You saw nothing." There was a growl in the woods and three Bewolves roared at us. Red reached for her hip only to find that her rifle was gone.

"Get behind me!" I said. As soon as she did, I snapped out my wings and spread them to full length. It was a natural defense mechanism that many birds use. The extra wingspan would make me seem much larger than I really was.

The lead Beowolf backed up slightly as it hesitated. I've never seen a Grimm in person before then, and frankly I thought they'd be a little smaller than what I had in front of me. It barked to its wingmen and all three growled, slowly approaching.

I chuckled, "I come down here and I'm presented with a challenge right off the bat. I like it. Red, don't move an inch and don't get in my way. I haven't tested these things out in battle yet." The gauntlets strapped onto my wrists and the blades positioned on my wrists. For safety's sake, the blades were dull. But their cutting power wouldn't come from the sharpness of the blades. The folding blades were a foot and ten inches each and were of a dark blue design. A lighter blue starlit edge rounded the darker blue middle. But the blades were on the back side of my hands. On each side was an axis that the blades hung to right now the blades had locked them in duel wield sword formation. It was one of three possible melee formations, one of which had them positioned like normal swords.

I took deep breath then powered up my aura. Sure enough, the edge of the blades glowed lightly with a yellow light and a faint buzzing sound could be heard.

I sighed with relief. "It works!" I think it's about time I told you just what these crystals do. Like I said before, they don't have a source of power of their own. In fact what they are meant to do, according to my studies, is turn another element into dust power without an element nature. And that element was none other than my own aura, a practically limitless supply of ammunition and sustainable energy (unlike those cheap dust crystals that burn out in time).My semblance with a similar link to the crystal had turned my own flight feathers and irises to the same exact material. This allowed me to supercharge my flight and sight alike.

I dug my blades into the ground in front of me and put myself in a runner's stance. "Let's go!" I howled as I pumped my wings and launched myself forward with my claws. I landed on the chest of a Beowolf and cross sliced at its neck. Blood splattered and the Grimm fell I leapt back to avoid a swipe from the largest of the group.

I slammed my gauntlets together and the right blade switched to the axis of the left gauntlet. The blades switched to the sides of my hands, one by my thumb and one by my pinky, and they formed a bow without a string. I pulled back as an arrow appeared, made of the same energy type.

"Heads up!" I fired the shot into the back of the alpha male's neck. It collapsed with a roar of pain. The smallest of the group, no more than a pup looked to me as I aimed my bow at it, then it quickly yelped, running away into the bushes with its tail between its legs. Either it would warn the rest of the pack to run or it would call for help. Either one was fine with me. I looked up in the tree above me to see Red's rifle on some of the tree branches, so I used my claws to climb up and drop it down to her.

"Thanks!" she said as I slid down the tree, "I'm Ruby. Sorry about running into you like that! Are you in the Beacon entrance exam?"

I shook my head, "My name's Nimbus. Shouldn't you get going? I mean…your exam and all."

She gasped, "I forgot! Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang! Bye!" In the blink of an eye, she had dashed off to the north, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. It was a speed semblance no doubt.

But it made me wonder; what was Beacon?

.

(At the Launch site)

Glynda Goodwitch looked at her tablet in surprise. Very little could surprise her.

"Professor Ozpin. Did you see that?"

The grey haired man took a sip of his coffee and looked, "What seems to be the trouble?"

"It appears that we have an out of protocol interference with one of our students, Ruby Rose. Look." She rewound the video and watched as Ruby collided with an airborne Faunus.

Ozpin pushed up his glasses, "So the legends of the Halcyon were true then. Follow them and we'll see what happens." The video resumed to show the Faunus wiping out two Beowolves in a matter of seconds, saving the young huntress.

"Should I put this in the report?" Glynda asked typing.

"No. Let Ruby go on her way. I'd like to have a word with this boy. Have a mobile unit track her movements and grade his actions as you would one of our students. I'll give further instructions. He might become an important asset to us."

"Ozpin, we took a huge step in adding Miss Rose to our student body. Are you sure that adding this boy will be a good idea?"

Ozpin nodded in response, "It isn't often that you come across someone of his breed."

.

(Back in the forest)

_SHING!_

I began bushwhacking my way through the forest. I had stopped for a moment as I held a cut piece of the Beowolf's mask in my hand. Although it is true that Grimm dissolve when killed, parts that you cut away  _before_ you kill them don't. So whenever you see a Grimm trophy hung on a wall, it might not be a fake. I had measured it and carved out into a mask that covered my eyes.

I had planned to do this for years since my father died. With this in mind I placed the mask over my eyes. I ran on for a little while until I knew I was safe and out of her sight. After a little while I came to a clearing. A screech filled the air and I saw a shadow flying high above the forest. It was a giant Nevermore!

A Beowolf leapt out of the bushes catching me off guard. But I was saved by a flash of pink.

"KA-POW!" a girl hollered as the Grimm was sent flying through three trees before landing in its place of final rest. This girl had orange hair close to mine, sky blue eyes, and a white and pink combat dress on. She looked much more of a tomboy than Ruby. But she had a crazy energetic expression on her face, as thought she was having the time of her life. In her hands was a large silver hammer that changed into a grenade launcher.

"Aw, you're not Ren", she moaned disappointedly, "Have you seen a guy with black hair dressed in green around here?" I was kind of speechless by that display of brute strength. But I shook it off.

"Can't say I have. Sorry."

She jumped up into the trees making a sound which sounded like the call of a sloth. I could tell that she was also part of the Beacon entrance exam. A giant feather shot down from the sky, impaling the ground in front of me. I quickly ran for the cover of the woods as the Nevermore flew above me. It must have heard the hammer girl and followed the sound. Thankfully it left me alone after a minute.

About ten minutes later I heard gunshots, lots of them. I had come to a clearing and saw some ancient ruins. An epic battle was transpiring. Eight people in groups of four were battling the Nevermore and the biggest Deathstalker I've ever seen. Ruby and three other girls were battling atop a ruined tower with the bird, while the hammer girl was battling alongside another girl and two guys against the Deathstalker.

The boy with the shield analyzed the scorpion and called out orders to the others between strikes. The hammer girl was flung up into the air and slammed her hammer down on the stinger, nailing it into the Grimm's head. The bridge collapsed and the Deathstalker went down with it. The four hunters and huntresses were safe on solid ground.

I then watched as the other four lured the Nevermore into the cliff face. A girl in white froze the Grimm's tail in place as it tried to escape. She dashed back just in time to see a girl in black and another in yellow make a giant slingshot out of a large band and two pillars. It caught Ruby and the girl in white held her in place with a black glyph. They spoke for a moment and the glyph turned red, launching Ruby into the air. Her rifle changed into a massive scythe which propelled her forward further (coolest weapon I've ever seen besides Pluto by the way). She stuck to a line of white glyphs running up the side of the cliff and dragged the Nevermore by the neck.

All went well, until she stopped about ten feet up. The Nevermore's tail was still trapped in the ice below! The Grimm attempted to whip its head around to grab Ruby. She held strong, trying to keep it from moving, but she wouldn't last long. Thinking fast, I whipped out Pluto in bow form and charged up a shot.

"EVERYBODY DUCK!" I roared. All looked to me in surprise and dodged out of the way as an arrow zipped past them. The force of the arrow's flight tore up the ground as it passed. The arrow made its mark on the tip of the ice, breaking its grip on the Nevermore.

"Now Ruby!" I called. Ruby zipped up the cliff building momentum and the Nevermore's head came off as she slammed it against the cliff. All looked to Ruby in an overwhelming silence. It was over. The wind blew and rose petals rolled off of Ruby's cape. My respect for that young girl had skyrocketed.

She saw me in the distance and waved to me, "Thank you!" I heard faintly.

I looked to see that I had dark, starlit feathers blowing in the wind too, just like Ruby's petals. They were rolling from the long coat I wore of the same color. I'm pretty certain that this is a physical manifestation of one's aura. Everyone had something like it. But I saluted them all and dashed into the woods.

_So this is the life of a Huntsman. I love it!_

.

(End of Chapter 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO! Beowulf here! No, not BeoWOLF like the Grimm. The name had nothing to do with RWBY.  
> I'm so excited to finally be on Archive of Our Own! It took long enough to be invited, but it was more than worth the wait!  
> Now, Wings of Remnant may have been my first story that I've uploaded here, but it is in no way the first story I've written.  
> .  
> By the way, I did notice that slight flaw in the battle design, Monty (if you're reading this up there). In that battle, when Ruby started dragging the Nevermore up the cliff, the ice would have shattered, the Nevermore would have lost its tail feather, or Ruby would have been stopped in her tracks. But of course, none of these happened. I'm not hating or anything, it was an epic battle all the same. It did however, provide the perfect opportunity for me to send Nimbus into the fray, so I have you to thank Mr. Oum.  
> .  
> That's about it. Nothing else to comment on.  
> Please like, follow and review, only if you want to of course. Remember, feedback is never expected, but always appreciated!  
> .  
> This is Beowulf and the OC crew signing out!


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Beacon

Chapter 2: Welcome to Beacon

(A week later)

I had done a lot of traveling since I've landed in Vale. So far, I haven't revealed my identity to anyone else. I learned that Grimm actually had a lot of value and a Huntsman can sell for a profit. There was a high demand for Ursa masks. The stuff was essentially ivory and was referred to in the market as "white gold". Those snake Grimm (I forgot what they were called) are wanted for their skin and fangs, and their poison can be used in medicine. It's extremely difficult to snag some without getting yourself or the Grimm killed. If you killed the Grimm before you could collect the desire part, it would dissolve along with the rest of the Grimm. That was the tricky part. But best part was that there was no limit to how many you could kill because they littered the woods. I had spent the past week killing Grimm and I made a decent profit from it.

Tonight I was in a dance club that had just reopened after a freak accident. I loved the atmosphere here. I took a seat and ordered a drink.

"You're a little underage", the bartender grunted.  
"Oh, no, no, no. I don't really like the taste of alcohol, it's always too bitter for my tastes. I'm thinking a Dr. Piper, if you don't mind", I clarified,

The man (Junior, as his name tag said) smiled and slid me a glass bottle containing my favorite soda. Stratos has nothing like this. And I loved the music played here. The one playing right now was called "Red like Roses", and I couldn't help but sing along quietly. Junior's eyes followed someone behind me as I sang quietly.

"Quite the songbird aren't you?" a man's voice said to me.

"Nothing like a lively beat to calm your nerves", I agreed happily.

"I can imagine that someone such as yourself would have a stressful time in the field. Isn't that right, Nimbus Altos of the Halcyons?" I snapped open Pluto in Sword form whirling around. My blade was at the throat of a grey haired man with a pair of glasses, a black coat, and a green scarf probobly in his mid forties. A cane was in his right hand. A kind but serious look crossed his face. What caught me by surprise was the fact that he didn't even flinch.

"How do you know who I am?" I hissed quietly.

"I've kept my eyes on you ever since you met Ruby during the entrance exam. I knew from the start. And you should always know that my colleague, Port, has a knack for telling stories."

I gritted my teeth. Port was the name of that guy I sold an Ursa mask to not long ago. He claimed to be a Huntsman back in the day. I took the blade away from his throat and folded them up.

"Sorry. We Halcyons have a knack for trying to stay under the radar. I didn't catch your name, sir." I took a sip of my drink.

"Right, introduction. My name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon." I coughed in surprise as my soda almost went down the wrong way.

When I regained my bearings I said, "That Beacon? The one that Ruby was taking the exam for?"

"The same. We exist to train the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses. Typically I find my students in training schools like Signal. But there are a few exceptions. Take Ruby for example. She skipped two years of training to come here. Then there was Blake Belladonna who was completely self-taught. As far as I've researched, you haven't appeared on any school database in Vale, or any kingdom for that matter."

"I learned from watching others. My home world has its own huntsmen training program, but I was never allowed to join due to…..semblance complications. Only recently did I discover mine. So I figured I'd make a living down here, where my kind rarely ever goes."

"Nimbus, I'm here to make a request. I want you to join us a Beacon."

I was stunned. From what I've heard, humans and Faunus typically didn't get along in such a way.

"While you were in the Emerald Forest, I had cameras watching your every move, just like I did for all of the other students. I saw what you are capable of. You can take out large Grimm quickly and I doubt that even Pyrah Nikos could have made the shot you did. And I can assure you that we do have plenty of Faunus within the student body."

I immediately stood up and said, "I accept!"

.

(Beacon Academy)

I looked out of the airship that transported me to Beacon from the city. The campus was far below me and the students looked up at the incoming transport.

"It's beautiful", I said excitedly.

"I knew you'd like it. If you ever decide that you're ready, the area will be considered open airspace for you."

"All in good time Oz. I plan to make friends before I show my species. I want to make a good impression." A few of the students walked out to the transport, so as to see who was new here.

"Here at Beacon we pair up our students into groups of four. And this year we had a perfect class size for everyone to have a team. That was before you came. So unfortunately you won't be having a single team. Rather I'll have you pair up with multiple teams from time to time."

"I see." The doors opened and the setting of Beacon Academy was laid out before me. I stepped out with a sense of excitement, like stepping into a stadium for a concert. Some people muttered upon seeing me.

"Sweet! New guy!" someone said. I looked around to see that there were in fact, many Faunus around here too. Of course I had never seen any Faunus breed other than other Halcyons before. It was a rather strange experience, but a cool one too. We walked until we were in the dorms. Mine seemed to be a little empty with only me inhabiting it, but that would give me plenty of room for my personal belongings.

"If we ever happen to find any new students, they'll join your team", Ozpin assured me, "Go on ahead and make yourself comfortable. If you have any questions come see me in my office in the clock tower."

"Will do Professor!" I saluted him casually.

He turned to leave but turned back and shook my hand, "And Nimbus, welcome to Beacon." And with that, he left. The Wizard of Oz was really starting to grow on me in a good way. I was looking forward to having him as a teacher.

.

During my first day at Beacon, I stayed under the radar. I had just picked up my school uniform. I had mine specially made so my coat was long, like the one I wore in battle. It was a design that was rarely ever used, but it was acceptable by school policy. Apart from that nothing else happened other than my tour of the campus, and I saw not a sign of Ruby and her team. I would have loved to meet them then.

Night had fallen over Beacon Academy and many of the students had went to bed early, with the exception of a few Faunus, myself included.

I ran to the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley below. It was all beautifully lit under the light of a full shattered moon moon. Even if the moonlight wasn't there, I could see perfectly at night, like all Faunus. While in motion I dove over the edge with my spread wings and I took flight for the first time in the past week. Having to hide my wings like this was making me fell like a bird in a cage. That night-time breeze swept me up in its embrace and carried me back to the top of the Beacon clock tower at the center of campus and I perched on the steeple on top.

Only one person had seen me do this. Down in the court yard was a girl with brown hair and a pair of bunny ears. I believe her name was Velvet. She waved to me excitedly and I waved back in my signature two finger wave, then I put my fingers to my lips, silently saying, "Don't tell." I knew that she would respect the wish of a fellow Faunus, and she did.

Grimm howled in the far distance. They kept their distance from the school, knowing that intrusion would lead to certain death.

A mechanical roar filled the air as a small transport dropped off four students at the gates of the school. Sure enough, it was Ruby's team. It was the same group of girls who helped her kill the Nevermore, not long ago.

I saw a petite girl in high heeled combat boots, with a snow white dress with a combat skirt. Her skin was light, flawless with the exception of that scar over her left eye. Her hair was just as white as her dress, and her eyes were icy blue. A rapier was sheathed at her hip. I couldn't help but think that she was pretty.  
There was a girl dressed in a black dress with a white shirt, a black bow on top of her head, and a sword sheathed at her hip. Her eyes were yellow and catlike, and her hair was black. She was very mysterious at a first glance.

The final member of the group was my height exactly, probably my age too. She wore a short sleeved brown jacket with a white shirt underneath. She had a skirt the same color as her jacket which covered her backside like a short cape, and the pants beneath was short and black, leaving the rest of her long legs exposed. The jacket and shirt also failed to cover up her lower stomach, leaver her belly button exposed (perfect inner, by the way). She was very athletic with a perfect frame. Her eyes were violet. But her most outgoing feature of all was that hair of hers. It was down past her hips, was a bright, radiant yellow. Heck she almost seemed to glow like the sun! In a nutshell, she was drop dead gorgeous, a go-to girl.

I saw how Ruby was limping a little.

"You okay Ruby?" the girl in white asked.

"She took a nasty hit from that Torch-what guy", the blonde said, "Of course she's hurt! Come on!" she grunted as she lifted Ruby onto her back.

"Thanks Yang", she said snuggling tight. Those two were sisters, I could see it clear as day. I smiled and put my mask over my eyes.

Spreading my wings I launched high above the school, arced over the team, then hid my wings as I fell down to the ground behind them. The girl with the bow in her hair whirled around first.

"Incoming!" she yelled as I zipped past them with a slice of my blades. "That mask!" she yelled getting her footing, "He's one of them!"

"Where is he?!" the girl in white looked around, "I can't see him!"

"Humans and your lousy eyesight", the girl in black muttered as she dashed forward towards me. Our swords locked.

I smiled, "A Faunus. I should have seen that coming. I'll make the game a little fairer." I activated my blades and the light produced illuminated my form.

"He's mine, Blake!" Yang yelled as she darted forward and Blake disappeared in a flicker of black. Yang struck my blades with enough force to push me back on the ground. But I held my stance.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, Goldie", I smirked as I dodged a fireball from her Gauntlets. We exchanged blows, not one met its mark.

"Step aside!" the girl in White jumped forward with her rapier. A series of white glyphs covered the area, illuminating the entire field. Now she had a clear view of me. She dashed back and forth on each glyph, making it very difficult to keep up.

But I started to play her game, launching off of her glyphs in the same manner. My friend up in Stratos had a glyph semblance too, and we sparred in the same way. After a few exchanges, we took to the ground and exchanged in close hand combat. She was fast in her strikes.

"Excellent!" I exclaimed, "You fight with an unparalleled elegance, little lady!"

"Don't you dare take act casually about this!" she swiped at me making a slight cut in my mask.

"Don't let your temper hamper your strokes", I shook my finger at her.

BANG!

The girl in white leapt away as Ruby jumped into combat with that giant scythe of hers.

"Ruby! No! Not in your condition!" Yang yelled.

"It's okay! I've got him!" She dashed forward and swung the scythe right at me. But she stuck it in the ground and landed a kick to my mask while twirling around on the scythe's handle like and acrobat! While I was still on the ground, the tip of the scythe was pointed at my neck. Ruby won!

"Woohoo!" Yang applauded, "That's my girl!"

I smiled and laughed. "Excellent job Ruby! You're a lot tougher than I let on!" I hid my blades and removed my mask. The scythe folded up.

"Nimbus! What are you doing here?!" she helped me up.

"You know him?!" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"He's the guy that saved us back in the Emerald Forest!" Ruby jumped up and down now facing them.

"Oh! You're that guy who sniped down the Nevermore ice trap from like a mile away!" Yang mimed a bow drawback.

"Err…two hundred and forty yards give or take", I shrugged, "Ruby. Would you mind?"

"Right. This is Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and my sister Yang. We make up team RWBY!" I chuckled a little at the acronym.

"Well, Blake, Yang, and Weiss," I extended my blades in bow form and held it out to the side as I bowed, "my name is Nimbus Altos. Pleasure to meet you all! I suppose that The Wizard of Oz didn't give you guys the memo. I kind of fell smack dab in the middle of your exam and Ozpin saw my talents and graded me as he would a student. After watching me for a little while, he enrolled me at the academy."

"Ooh! Just like me!" Ruby almost squeaked in excitement.

"I'm sorry about startling you girls. But I saw your performance by the ruins. I wanted to have a taste of it myself. I was genuinely impressed."

"Well you gave us a bit of a scare", Blake said, "That mask of yours looked like that of the White Fang."

"What's the White Fang?" I asked out of genuine curiosity. The others went silent for a moment.

"You're kidding right?" Weiss asked, "You've never heard of the White Fang?" I silently shook my head.

"Have you seriously been living in a cave for the past few years?" Blake asked bluntly. So they told me about the once peaceful Faunus rights group who turned violent.

I whistled in surprise, "I'm not exactly accustomed to those kinds of racial views. I came from a place that's a little isolated from the kingdoms of Remnant. It's called the island of Stratos. It's a place with its own Huntsman program and it's a place where humans and Faunus get along without a hitch." I lied about that last part. I looked down to the mask in hand, "I just wear the mask of the Grimm for sentimental reasons."

"Well, say no more!" Yang came out of nowhere and hooked her arm around mine, "We're taking you home tonight to talk a little more, Nimbus!"

I blushed. I would be the guy that she tugs along. Just my luck.

(End of Chapter 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEEEEYOOOOOOO! Beowulf returns!  
> .  
> Wow! I'm feeling productive today! I only posted that last chapter not but an hour ago and there's already a hit! WOOO!  
> On top of that, i'm already posting the second chapter in such a short amount of time!  
> Well....granted I nearly finished this chapter by the time I posted last. So unfortunately, my next chapters won't be coming by that quickly.  
> .  
> And since I posted such a short time ago, there is literally nothing else to say. Other than the fact that the next wing of Remnant will be showing up in the next chapter.  
> Like, follow and comment if you like!  
> .  
> Beowulf and the OC crew out!


	3. Chapter 3: The First Day of School

Chapter 3: The First Day of School

(Nimbus)

It was Friday morning and today would be my first real day of class with a weekend to follow immediately after. Our first class was with a very familiar figure.

"Alright everybody take your seats! Cardin! Please settle down. Ooh! Mr. Altos! What a surprise!" It was Mr. Port, I mentioned him earlier.

"First off, before we begin class today, I would like to have Mr. Altos to step forward." I looked around then stepped forward to the front of the class.

"I would like you all to say hello to Nimbus Altos, the latest addition to Beacon. I'm certain you have all heard of the incident in Emerald Forest." The other student mumbled to themselves. "Professor Ozpin has made an exception in having Nimbus as an assisting huntsman, and he will be pairing up with different teams at a time. So I hope that you will all give him a warm welcome!" The students applauded and I sat back down. I took a seat in between teams JNPR and RWBY. Velvet's team sat behind me and she waved to me silently. I nodded with a smile in a silent greeting.

So Port began in his description of newly discovered Grimm, one of which was called a Sickler, a giant breed that resembled a praying mantis. I began taking notes vigorously, excited by this knowledge that I craved. Strangely enough, not many of the students seemed excited about this class. some people looked surprised as I copied the notes precisely and even added a few descriptive illustrations. Cardin's team talked among themselves, throwing glances at me every so often. I knew that they were bad news. But I stayed on task.

The bell rang right before Port could reach the exciting part of one of his stories. As I left the classroom last, Port stopped me.

"It's not all too often that I have a student that interested in my studies. But tell me, how does a Halcyon find his way into a place like this?" I turned to face him.

"I guess that Oz spilled the beans to you", I chuckled, "I've lived isolated from Remnant for years. I mean, sure it's peaceful, but I wanted some adventure in my life. And I...have a personal vendetta against the creatures of Grimm. Look, I have another hour till my next class. How about i sit down and tell you a story, Teach?"

"Of course!" We both sat down and I cleared my throat.

I began, "There was a Halcyon hero named Boreas, the North Wind. He was there in every fight against the Grimm and he would always come out unscathed." I went on to describe the feats of Boreas in great detail, "But then one day, almost thirteen years ago, just as he was leaving the empty battlefield, a monster emerged from the mountainside. It was a giant Nevermore, three or for times the size of the one in Emerald Forest! This battle with the fabled Nevermore, Insomnia, would be Boreas' last. Insomnia escaped, but not before, Boreas could tear away part of the beast's mask with his bare hands." Port was still paying close attention to my tale.

"But what does that make you?" Port asked me.

I smiled as I responded, "Boreas was my inspiration. He's part of the reason that I want to fight the Grimm. I dream of one day hunting down Insomnia and slaying the beast."

I looked at my watch, "I think it's best that I get going. I need to get to lunch!" I turned to leave.

"And Nimbus", Port said before I left, "If you have any more stories to tell, I would love to hear them any time."

.

Lunch period here was something else. You'd think that all of this food would be set for a king and queen. All of the teams sat together. But of course I didn't have a team so I sat down beside team RWBY. Further down, the hammer girl from the forest (I learned that her name was Nora) waved at me excitedly. I couldn't help but laugh at her antics as she tossed peas into Yang's mouth with pinpoint accuracy. Across the table, I could see Cardin's team pestering Velvet.

I formed a ball of Stardust energy in my right hand and lobbed it over to Cardin's head.  _POP!_  It exploded in his face and he fell backwards trying to get away. I covered my mouth as I tried to hide my laugh, but RWBY didn't even try to hold it in. Even Blake cracked a smile. Cardin walked way with a headache.

But we stopped as the roar of engines filled the air. Outside, a magnificent transport ship came out from behind the cliff side, circling the school once before steering back to the docking bay. All of the students chattered in excitement. Ozpin stepped out to the now open door and smiled.

"She's here early", was ll that he said before he personally walked out to the transport. Blake's eyes widened as the crown and chain insignia on the side of the ship came into view.

"That's a Mistralian Royal Transport!" she gasped. The other students cheered upon hearing this and flooded out of the cafeteria. I just barely avoided the stampede.

"Weiss, do you mind telling me what's going on?" I said coming out from behind the door.

"I don't know for certain, but i think we might be getting a new student!" she smiled.

.

(Valentine)

I looked out the window of the transport with a sense of wonder. I've never left the boarders of Mistral before, and it felt weird just going to a distant kingdom like this. I told my father about my dream of becoming a huntress and he knew that I wouldn't take no for an answer. Not this time. And with the recent attacks by the White Fang, my father and mother found it best to send me out of the kingdom to a foreign school for safety's sake. The entire court had come to see me off and I knew I would miss them dearly.

Now here I was, descending on Beacon Academy, one of the best training schools in Remnant. My parents knew I would be safe here, as did I. I saw a man in a black suit waiting for us at the docking bay. I saw him talking to my father through the communications terminal. He was a little taller than I pictured him.

"You're not getting nervous now are you?" my father's hand was on my shoulder.

"Who wouldn't be?" I replied, "I mean, this is it! The big league! And...oh." I paused as I saw a crowd of students running to the dock, probably the entire student body.

"Father, before I go, please stay in one piece until I get back." He knelt down beside me and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Val, we're not just sending you here as a precaution. You wanted to become a Huntress and this is the ideal place to do just that! But I promise you that we will be safe. The Fang isn't going to get to us easily."

"Thank you", I said as we landed and the door opened. There stood Professor Ozpin.

"I was expecting you to be here within the week. I didn't think you'd come here in less than a day Sir Gregory."

"I am so thankful that you were able to help us. Now we know that Val can train in good hands", Father shook his hand with gratitude.

"So you must be Princess Valentine", Ozpin said turning to me, bowing for a moment, "It's an honor to have you join us."

I bowed myself, "No, the pleasure is all mine, Professor. This really means a lot to me."

Ozpin motioned to the school as a cart came out of the ship with my luggage. I looked to the crowd and they cheered. I got countless waves and blown kisses and I was rather flattered by this.

I turned back to my father and embraced him in one last hug, "I'll be sure to contact you as often as I can."

"So long as you do, I will too", he said as he walked away. The transport closed and my father, King Gregory Vance of Mistral, returned home. The students parted and a path to the school was cleared.

"Fellow huntsmen and huntresses. Today, we have the rare opportunity to welcome a very special guest, Princess Valentine Vance of Mistral." The students cheered but were silenced when Ozpin raised his hand, "Now I understand that many of you would wish to meet her personally and you'll get your chance. But I also want to inform you that she is also a classmate, an ally in good times and bad, just in the same way you see your fellow students. For now please go about as you were, while the staff gets Miss Valentine situated to her new environment. Afterwards you will have your chance to speak with her and become further acquainted. Students you are dismissed." And thus the students departed.

.

The students finished up lunch as Ozpin and I toured the campus. I backtracked to the arena where two students were sparring. One was a guy with blonde hair and a white sword and shield. The other was a girl with red hair and an orange and red colored sword and shield.

"Is that Pyrrha Nikos?"

Ozpin nodded, "She's been undefeated in the ring thus far."

I was at the tournament last year when she was crowned champion. She was always something of a role model to me.

Our last stop before the dorms was the library. An ideal place to study. But today someone was being a little louder than necessary.

"TRAP CARD!" a girl with long hair slammed a card down on a table as they played Wrisk. The other girl leaned against the back of the chair with tears rolling in a comical manner. I recognized that girl in red from the crowd earlier. I'm pretty sure I saw her balancing on the handle of a large scythe to see me from the back of the crowd. But she appeared to be only fifteen, two entire years younger than all of the other students. Ozpin must have seen something special in her.

Her blonde sister was the only one who noticed me and she waved excitedly. I waved back silently.

Our last stop was the dorms. It wasn't quite as elaborate as it was back home, but it would most certainly do.

"Now, considering that we had an unusual number of students this year, so we don't exactly have a team of four for you yet. But we do have one other student who came in yesterday. So you'll be a part of his team." we walked over to room 316 and Ozpin knocked on the door.  _BONK!_ Someone inside hit his head.

"Pardon the intrusion", Ozpin peaked inside, "I need to speak with you."

"Give me twenty seconds Oz", someone inside opened a window, "I'm about to finish dusting in here. I don't want you swept up with it!"

Ozpin quickly closed the door. "What was all that about?" I questioned.

"Your roommate has proven to have a dangerously effective way of sweeping out his room. You might want to keep all papers in a safe place when he starts to clean."

A blast of wind shot out from beneath the door and a howling wind blew inside of the dorm. My robe rustled in the breeze. Twenty seconds later there was a light  _THOMP_  as the air was blasted out the window.

"Woo! That worked perfectly! Okay Oz, come in!"

Ozpin opened the door to reveal a perfectly swept room. There was a guy putting on a long coat with a starry night sky design. He was busy with his head in a foot locker underneath his bed.

"Good news, Mr. Altos. We've found your first team mate."

"Sweet!" he said, "So will he be coming in a couple of days. I might need time to prepare the room."

"A little late for preparations. I'm already here", I spoke up. He stopped.

"But that means...WHAT?!" he got his head out of the locker and whirled around to face us.

He seemed a little bit overwhelmed to see me. But then again I was a little overwhelmed myself. Something about him was just...unusual, but in all the right ways. His appearance wasn't that of any kingdom of Remnant. Maybe he was from an island off the coastline.

His hair was a little long and sunset orange-gold. and his skin was tanned. He was taller than me by maybe three inches. But what caught me off guard was his eyes. His irises were the same night blue that his coat was and his eyes even had star and galaxy formations that lit up in color.

"I'd like to introduce to you your new team mate, Nimbus Altos", Ozpin told me, then to the other, "Nimbus, I'm pleased to introduce you to Princess Valentine Vance of Mistral.

Nimbus pulled himself together and smiled, but he failed to hide his blush, "Well, welcome your Highness! Go ahead and make yourself at home."

I giggled a little as Ozpin left and I brought in my bags, "The Professor said that royalty is not a factor around here now and I thoroughly agree with him. As of now, you and I are equals, team mates. So just be yourself. Okay?"

He sighed with relief and flopped back on the bed, "Good. I'm not used to being so formal. Can I call you Val?"

Val. I haven't been called by that nickname since my brother left to hunt the Grimm. "Absolutely", I nodded. I was very happy with my new team mate, my partner.

I could tell that the feeling was mutual.

.

(End of Chapter 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO! Beowulf howls again!  
> There you have her! Valentine Vance, Princess of Mistral!  
> Before we go any further, I want to state that this team's main creative goal is balance. IE I plan to make this team balance the powers of Remnant and its kingdoms: Vale (technically Vale's Airspace), Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo, in respect to release.  
> I also plan to balance the racial powers too. Believe it or not, there are actually FOUR different races that not many have accounted for. Thus far, the faunus are represented by Nimbus, and the humans are represented by Valentine. Our Atlesian OC will make her appearance next chapter.  
> Until then, like, subscribe, follow, comment review, WHATEVER YOU CALL IT!! I'm stuck up in FF right now so it's hard to tell!  
> This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing off!


	4. Chapter 4: Tutoring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nimbus gives Jaun a crash course in Aura usage.

Chapter 4: Tutoring

(Nimbus)

This was an unexpected surprise. I had expected my first team mate to come in maybe a few months or so, but emshe /emcame in not but the day after I arrived. And she was none other than the renowned Princess Valentine Vance!

During my week and a half on Earth, I've done my research on the kingdoms and who was ruling each. So I was very familiar with the royal family of Mistral.

Valentine Vance was seventeen, going on eighteen next month, and was the daughter of King Gregory Vance of Mistral. She was three inches shorter than me and had long wavy brown hair with a slight reddish tint, and it was almost as long as Yang's. She was moderately curved, not over the top, but just right (something I like to call the Goldie locks zone) and she was very athletic. And her eyes were a radiant shade of blue.

When in public she typically dressed up in a Fancy manner. Now that she was here at beacon, she had changed into a much more casual dress code, wearing a pair of long black pants with tennis shoes. She wore a gold colored shirt with the family's royal insignia. Finally her most outgoing article of clothing was that hooded robe/cape. It was similar to the one Ruby wore, only this one was longer, almost touching the ground, and it went over her shoulders. The robe was colored royal purple with an insignia of four daggers connected by a ring of chains.

Simply put, Valentine was a sight to behold and I was lucky to have her as a team mate.

So we spent the day walking around the school. Occasionally someone would join us and ask Val for an autograph. But we stopped when she accidentally backed into Weiss Schnee.

"Watch where you're going!" she complained getting up on her own. Poor Val was on the ground dizzy.

"Oh my Gosh! I'm so sorry!" she said helping her up.

Val and Weiss walked away soon after, talking politics and I was left alone.

"Lucky you", a voice said behind me. I turned around to see the leader of Team JNPR, Jaune Arc, leaning against a column staring at the girls as they left.

"Well, come on!" he nudged me with his elbow in a joking voice, "What's she like?"

"She's...actually really casual about coming here. I can't see a hint of nervousness in her", I replied.

"That's exactly how Weiss was back when she first came in!" Jaune said and I found myself walking to the edge of the campus with him.

"Okay, I have to know. How the heck did you manage to make that shot back in the entrance exams?"

"Um...I used my aura of course. How else could I have done that?" I answered.

"Oh, right of course", Jaune said nervously.

I narrowed my eyes, "You don't even know how to use your own aura yet, do you?"

"Aw come on! How do you know that?!" he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine then, tell me what you do know about using it."

"Well I know it can be used to protect you like a shield and that you can bear it as an outward force."

"Then you my friend have a long way to go", I grabbed his wrist and tugged him along to an overlook.

"Look. Before you can even think about using your own aura, you have to find it first. You have to identify and locate what you control."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I mean, I've felt it before but finding it is something completely different", he complained.

"Then tell me this. What do you picture your aura as?" I retorted. That made Jaune sit down cross-legged and put his hand on his chin.

"I always thought of it as a flame, one that completely surrounds me but has immense strength and holds me together."

"No, no, no, no", I interrupted, "You are thinking on a physical level Jaune! Heck aura defies physics in countless ways. Aura literally exists on a spiritual and mental level. And you are looking for your aura in the wrong place!"

"But I thought that-."

"Forget everything that you personally thought about aura, I'm about to give you a crash course, Stratos style. To begin, yes, aura does hold us together, but it isn't some outward force that keeps you in and compresses you. It's the complete opposite! It completely encompasses your entire being, like the blood in your veins. What's more is that  _you_ are the one compressing it. Your aura is more like water vapor inside of a water heater. It will search for every possible way to let itself out. And regardless of whether it is in or outside of yourself you can freely manipulate it. Now, do as I do."

I stood up straight and took in a deep breath. There was silence. "Remember, the aura that you possess is in every nook and cranny of you physical being; it is the very thing that gives us life. So naturally the place you should reach for it", I put my hand over my chest, "is the heart."

"How will I know when I have it?"

"Trust me, you will know."

"Alright. Deep breath, reach for the heart, silence." He closed his eyes and stood there quietly. All was silent for over a minute.

Suddenly his eyes opened and his entire body shivered, "Yep. definitely found it!"

"There we go. Tell me, what did it feel like when you found it?" I questioned.

"Well...you know what I feels like whenever you shiver. I felt something like that, but it just...rippled out, like ripples in a pond."

"BINGO!" I exclaimed, "That is exactly what I wanted to hear! But you merely touched your aura. Now try and compress it in...let's say your left hand. Get out your shield. Remember that your tools are literally conduits for your aura. Your aura is capable of flowing through your weapon like it's a part of yourself."

Jaune's eyes widened and he whipped out his shield, "It's like putting in a light bulb!"

"Well that's one way of putting it. Now use your aura to enhance your tool in what it was designed for. Make your shield stronger!" I drew my bow and charged up a shot, "I won't be going easy on you."

Jaune was alarmed at first, but then he nodded to himself and put his shield in between us.

"Alright! Here it goes!" His shield glowed gold and the ground rumbled slightly.

I wavered for a moment letting my arrow disperse, but redrew my bow and prepared to fire. I barely pulled the bow back when Jaune burst forward, shield first leaving a golden contrail behind him.

I had made a critical mistake. Jaune hit me and we both went over the edge of the cliff! But the cliff wasn't even on my mind. Jaun had packed the force of an on coming bus in that strike!

"No! No! No!" Jaune yelled as we both fell into the valley below. I doubted that his shield would protect him from impact. I had no choice.

"Hold on Jaune!" I yelled to him as I snapped open my wings, guiding myself over to him. I reached out and he grabbed my right wrist and held to him in the same way. We pulled up and began making our way back to the top.

"Nimbus! Areal attack!" Jaune warned and I looked up to see part of the cliff face coming down on top of us. With Jaune on board there was no time to dodge!

"Jaune! Do it!" I yelled to him. working in sync, I held him up and he activated his shield.

The shield stopped the boulder but Jaune was struggling to hold it. I quickly flipped out my bow.

"Hold on man, just a second longer!" I said as I pulled back the bow. Because my hands were full, I had to use my teeth for the initial drawback.

"NOW!" I commanded letting the arrow go, channeling all of my extra aura into the crystal feathers on my wings. Jaune put out one more smaller burst from his shield. The combined force shattered the boulder above our heads and we shot back up to the top of the cliff and we both tumbled to a stop beyond the cliff face.

We were safe.

Jaune just laid there on the ground silent, I couldn't see if his eyes were open or not.

"You okay over there Arc?" I coughed.

A short silence came before he snapped up right, "That was totally awesome! Did you see that thing I did with the shield dash?! I was like  _ZOOM!_ Then...oh."

He said that last part as he looked back to me trying to get up again. My wings flapped as I re-positioned myself.

I chuckled, "That certainly wasn't one of my best landings." I stretched my arms and tried to put away my wings. But Jaune reached forward and grabbed one.

"Whoa", he muttered as he looked at my true form, "You're a...Faunus."

"I prefer the term Halcyon", I brushed off my coat.

"So all the legends from the war, they were true!"

"It needs to stay as what you thought they were before, legends. You weren't supposed to see that."

Jaune quickly raised his right hand, "I promise not to tell anyone! You have my word!"

"I believe you", I nodded, "Now about what you did to send us over the edge?" As I said this I looked at the place where Jaune had done his dash. The grass in that area was almost uprooted from the force of it. But I saw that Jaune didn't exactly dash, he launched forward without taking any other steps. That one leap took him fifteen feet to my position and another seven over the edge of the cliff!

"I don't know. I mean, my body just acted on instinct, telling me to make the first strike. Then all that aura went to my feet. I didn't think that a little aura would do this."

"Under normal circumstances this couldn't have happened, you're right. There was only one thing I didn't account for. You have a guarding semblance, which automatically boosts your defensive capabilities. That alongside your dash created a move that I've only seen used once before, the Golden Comet!"

Jaune quickly looked around and used the Comet to smash a boulder fifteen feet away.  _BOOM!_ The rock was split down the middle. "This is unreal!" he said looking at his glowing shield.

"It may be powerful but you're also putting too much power into this. It's important to learn restraint so you don't overexert yourself." His watch beeped.

"Oh shoot!" I'm supposed to be practicing with Pyrrha right now!" Jaune turned to leave, but stopped to face me again. "Thanks Nimbus, I owe you one. No matter what happens you have the support of Team JNPR."

With that he pointed his sword in the air and I met it with one of mine. First a high strike, then a low. Then I scissor cut at his blade, then we both drew back, spun once and he put his shield forward and it with a fist bump with Pluto in bow form. "Alright!" we both said at once. This would become our routine "hand shake" in due time. But as we both ran back for the Academy, I knew that this had become a benchmark moment for me. Jaune and I would be the best of friends, and partners from different teams.

.

(Arcee)

I find it rather unusual that I'm telling my story now. Then again, they say that the hardest and strangest part of telling a story is starting it. Perhaps it will become easier as I go along.

I opened my eyes again and the doctors backed away, giving me room to breathe. A man pushed his way to the front of the group, a man with blonde hair, an Atlesian dress code, and a pair of glasses. He was Victor "Gismo" Strauss. He was my father. Well, I guess "father might be an unusual word to use if you're like me.

Immediately following him was a man with black and grey hair and a white suit, and a girl with short orange hair wearing a black and green dress. They were James Ironwood and my "cousin", Penny.

"How did the operation go?" Dad asked the doctor. "It went even better than expected. I'm just glad that she was able to fit the criteria."

"Thank God!" he embraced me in a hug, "I was worried you wouldn't make it."

"Dad, I'm not one to break down easily. I'm just glad that you're here. "How about you Penny? I heard you got into a skirmish at the docks a week ago."

"I'd prefer if we don't talk about that right now. My father doesn't want me to spread details." Penny's father and mine were brothers and colleagues.

The building lurched slightly causing me to feel a little disoriented. "Dad, where are we?" I stood up.

"We're on a transport ship to have you jump into your next mission in Vale. It appears that there was a Grimm attack unlike anything ever seen before. We've lost contact with the target area and we have no idea how many casualties have been piled up. At the present, a student response team has been sent from Vale, but we're closer to the site. So we're having you go in as first response. Eliminate any and all Grimm on site and contact medical response with a report on the casualties. That's just the first part of the mission."

"What else is there?" I asked.

Dad hesitated for a moment, "I've made a difficult decision, but it's one that will be beneficial for all of us. We are sending you to group up with the response team and you'll be brought back to Beacon academy as a student."

"What's do difficult about that? I've been to school before", I was confused at first.

"Arcee, I won't be coming with you this time." I drooped a little. I went everywhere with Dad long before I had turned "sixteen", in regards to my physical state of maturity. Now a sudden change like this was huge.

"Arcee, you're becoming a woman now regardless of how you started life. You need to mature on your own for a little while with real friends. Professor Ozpin has made special arrangements to have you placed with a huntsman team. You'll grow beside them, and I know you'll make friends."

"He's right", Penny spoke up excitedly, "The people at Beacon are the coolest. Trust me, there is no doubt that you'll fit right in!"

"Gismo", Ironwood questioned, "Are you certain about this."

"I'm positive. Besides, we owe Ozpin a debt for what he's done for us. Arcee, go suit up and I'll be waiting for you at the docking bay."

"Right!" I got serious and dashed off to the fitting room. Lives were at stake. But hey, a synthian has to do what a synthian has to do.

(End of Chapter 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Beowulf here!  
> There you have her, the third OC, Arcee Strauss.  
> As promised, I've introduced my third OC. Like I said before, each of my OC's will represent one of each race in RWBY. You know Nimbus and Val (Faunus and human). But Arcee has joined the fray and she is synthian, an artificial person who can generate an aura, just like Penny! But this wasn't the big spin I would put on the ballgame. That comes in the next chapter when things really get serious!
> 
> The world of Remnant will never be the same again.
> 
> But on that note, it's time to go. My last OC's itching to hit the pages!
> 
> This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	5. Chapter 5: Abomination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the most fortified military laboratory in all of Remnant has fallen, Team RWBY, Nimbus, Valentine, and their new friend Arcee are sent to save all who are left inside. But it's the thing still inside that they need to fear.

Chapter 5: Abomination

(Valentine)

It has been about three days at Beacon and I've already made a friend in Weiss. Her father's company has provided supplies for Mistral's military for years and we were on very good terms. It is the glue that has held Atlas and Mistral together for some time now. Today Weiss had challenged me to spar with her.

"Come on Valentine! You've been here for three days and you haven't even shown us your weapon!" Weiss urged me.

"Alright fine. But I'm warning you, it's going to be a little tricky to hold back."

"I'll be the one who decides when I can't handle a fight. Thank you very much", Weiss said as they took their places in the arena.

She drew her rapier and pointed at me in a fencer's stance, "I'd hurry up and make the first move before I do."

"Alright. I don't suppose you've ever heard people refer to me as the Maiden Knight before. Have you?" I said as I reached for my cape and threw it folded into the bleachers.

"Time's up your Highness!" Weiss smiled as she glyph dashed to me.

But now I was ready. I leaped to the side with high speeds and reached for the violet colored pole that was strapped to my back. I spun it around and it extended into a six foot long, double sided spear with golden double edged blades capping it off. Like all huntresses, I made this weapon myself. Its name is Merlin. It was based off a weapon design used by Mistralian flagmen and lancers. But I put a few personal touches into this thing that would make much more than meets the eye. It had a rather peculiar power source. Legends told of a dust crystal that would turn the energy of one's own aura into dust power. My father paid a fortune to get me the piece that I needed before I even had the chance to ask him.

Our blades collided and Weiss looked me over as she examined my weapon. I spun Merlin around and took the offensive as I started a long chain attack, not wasting any movement. Weiss was keeping up with my movements. I leaped back and continued the rapid paced strikes. I then activated the dust and watched as dust charges shot out of the blades every time I swiped at the "out of reach" Weiss.

She was caught off guard and was knocked back by one. But she instantly recovered and fired off a storm of red bolts with a single swipe of her hands. Her shots homed in on mine and canceled them out. While this was happening, she bounced back on a large white glyph and rocketed over to my location.

I stopped firing and slammed one of Merlin's points into the ground. I focused and easily pulled myself into a flip as Weiss sped by. She stuck to the wall with a black glyph and slashed at me. I twirled around on Merlin like a world-class acrobat, dodging strikes and throwing kicks at the hilt of her sword. I pulled my weapon out and leaped forward as Weiss and I traded places. Only this time, I was sticking to the wall without even so much as a glyph. Weiss raised an eyebrow but did not falter as we traded strikes again. I flipped back striking the ground, hitting the wall and back flipped across the entire arena! I stood Merlin upright before I could land, spun around the shaft twice, and then vaulted onto the tip of the blade where I stood for a moment.

All was silent and Weiss was completely at a loss for words for at least twenty seconds, then she asked, "How the heck did you do that?! How are you doing that?! You were hopping and dashing around like you weighed less than ten pounds!"

"That's because I was ten pounds. I have a gravity semblance. That means that I can control where I'm being pulled to", I suddenly flew towards the wall and landed on my feet, "And how strong the pull is." Upon saying that I drifted away from the wall like I was in space! "Oh no! I'm floating away! Weiss! Help!" I began to rise slightly.

"Hold on!" Weiss said as she glyph jumped to me and grabbed hold, only to find that she had gone zero-g herself! "No, no, no, no!" she said trying to grab hold of me again.

"I'm just messing with you Weiss!" I laughed, rolling into a slow back flip, "I can do the same thing to almost anything or anyone that I touch. But the effect wears off after six seconds, so brace yourself!" I flipped around in midair and drifted back and stuck to Weiss, back to back. "There we go. You're safe now Miss Schnee."

"Wait just a minute!" Weiss said as she pushed me away and I came back to her automatically, "I see now! You made my own gravitational pull stronger on you! You basically just landed on me!" Weiss giggled then laughed, I followed suit.

"You know what Valentine, you would have made an awesome sister. I'm officially jealous of you!" Weiss joked around at the last part.

"Well, zero gravity has its perks. It makes sleeping a very blissful experience indeed. You know what? Hold on to my hand. Or better yet..." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a bobby pin and clipped it around the end of my hair and hers.

"There we go. Now, I'm going to let go in a moment. When I do, let yourself go limp, be very quiet, and close your eyes. You'll love it", I said.

"Alright, but just don't drop me", she hesitated. No sooner had she said, that we both drifted and I closed my eyes. Space sleeping, as I liked to call it, was absolute bliss. It clears my mind. Frankly to do that you have to let go of all physical senses. No sight, no hearing, none of that. Now I can finally let go of my sense of touch, because without zero gravity, you're always touching the ground, making this last step impossible. Unless of course you have a gravity semblance.

"Wow", Weiss whispered, "This is amazing!"

"Hold on, we're going down", we slowly drifted to the ground

"Val!" Nimbus' voice rang in the hall as he skidded to a stop in the door frame, "Get yourself ready to go! You too Weiss! Ozpin has placed us and team RWBY on a search and destroy mission!"

"Is that so?" Weiss got back up, "Where is it?"

"The wizard of Oz told me it is the lab of someone named Marcus Maze." Weiss turned as white as a ghost upon hearing this.

"Come on Val!" she grabbed my arm and sprinted with me down the corridor, "Get to the docking bay with Nimbus right now! I'll get my team!" We took opposite directions at the next split in the hall. Weiss seemed a little worked up over this. Something big must have happened.

That meant that I would have to be armed to the teeth.

.

(Nimbus)

Within minutes, all of us were inside of the Bullhead prepping our weaponry.

"You seemed pretty spooked back there Weiss. Is something wrong?" I asked her. Weiss spun the ring on the hilt of her sword and sighed.

"Marcus Maze and my father were partners in scientific Grimm studies while in the field. But after making countless discoveries, it even got to the point where Grimm began targeting him. So his lab is one of the most fortified bases in Remnant. No Grimm would be smart enough to find its way in, or strong enough for that matter. Something terrible must have happened down there."

"I don't think it's anything that we can't handle", I assured her, cleaning my blades one last time, "Speaking of which, we won't be in this alone. It appears that an Atlesian scientist is sending in one Special Forces huntress to assist us. I hear that she's an even heavier hitter than Yang."

"Yeah right", Yang mocked as she pumped her fist, cocking the cannons in the gauntlets, "I'll just have to see for myself!"

"Alright kids, listen up!" Miss Goodwitch stepped into the cabin, "In less than one minute you will be dropping into what very well might be a war zone. Weiss has already made it clear in just how fortified Mr. Maze's laboratory is. So we can only assume that we are dealing with several high level Grimm or possibly even the White Fang. Should it be the former we must destroy all hostiles in the area. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" we all said at once.

"Then Godspeed! You'll be dropping in T minus ten seconds." the door to the cabin closed behind her and the side of the Bullhead opened up to reveal a night sky. Smoke rose from the mountainside forest below.

"Let's go!" I yelled as I leaped out with zero hesitation. The others hesitated for a moment before jumping. I spread my wings when I was one hundred percent positive that no one else was peeking and I glided to a stop near the ground. The lab of Marcus Maze was massive and was built right into the side of the mountain! There was no telling how far the rest of the facility stretched.

Outside of the facility, there were at least a dozen military vehicles that had been completely shredded, all in the same way. Many of the pilots were unconscious, laying in puddles of their own blood. One staggered out from behind a crashed Bullhead holding his bloodied left shoulder. Weiss gasped and ran to his side just as he collapsed.

"Mr. Gilbert! You're alive!" she sighed with relief.

"It's been far too long Miss Schnee. I'm shocked that I'm even in this condition after what happened. Grimm. Unlike anything we've ever seen!"

"Don't worry. We can handle it", Weiss assured him as she sat him up against the side of the building.

A transmission came through on our radios, "Attention all ground forces, you in the shipyard. Do you read me?"

"Professor Gismo! It's Weiss along with the recovery team from Vale. I was told one of Atlas' own would join us", Weiss replied as we looked up a quarter of a mile to see a Bullhead.

"I wish I could join you but today's a rather special occasion. My daughter will be joining you. Stand back!"

A single form leaped out of the ship diving straight down towards the pavement! She didn't slow down until she slammed her fist into the pavement with a thunderous BOOM! The ground cracked as our foreign partner made her appearance. The dust lifted to reveal a seventeen year old girl wearing black pants that were almost skintight. She wore a neon turquoise shirt with a short black jacket, both of which were short enough to let her belly button show. Her jacket, boot, and pants had a small network of turquoise designs that almost seemed to glow in the dark. Her eyes matched that color and luminescence. Her hair was short, black and seemed to lift up slightly in the back. But her most outgoing feature of all was her choice of weaponry. On her hands and wrists were a pair of giant black Gauntlets that were just as big as the engine of a car, and had a large robotic hand at the end of each. Both Gauntlets had the same Turquoise highlights as he clothes. I found it astounding that she could even lift them both so easily.

This girl, in a nutshell, was the ideal modern Cyberpunk.

"Sorry to drop in on you guys, but I have my orders. My father sends his regards", she bowed motioning off to the side with those giant gauntlets, "And you are?"

"Right", I coughed as I stepped forward, "I'm Nimbus. This is Valentine. And this is Team RWBY, comprising of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang."

The girl giggled in an adorable way and continued, "My name is Arcee Strauss. It's a pleasure to meet you all! Now, shall we begin our search?"

And so we did. The group walked up to the doors and I slammed my gauntlets together and transferred both blades to my right gauntlet where they were placed in a pinwheel formation.

"Alright ladies, stand back", I said as the blades sharpened and spun around on the axis in the form of a giant buzz saw. Within moments I had cut through the giant metal door and kicked down the new one.

"Alright", Blake took command, "Everybody keep your flashlights on at all times and look behind you once every twenty seconds. Grimm have the advantage of blending into the shadows. Now, everybody split up!" we all left. But I didn't listen to Blake when I turned off my light. All Faunus have perfect eyesight in the dark. No Grimm could escape my line of sight. But I found it odd that this building was quiet, too quiet.

For five minutes, all I could hear were my footsteps and breathing. I saw no signs of conflict or struggle until I saw a bloody smear on the ground, leading off into the locker room. I gagged slightly as I followed the trail until it ended by locker number 47. Blood pooled around the door. I sighed with relief as I heard heavy breathing from inside. So I knocked on the door, "Hello? You okay in there?"

"Thank God!" the door burst open and a young woman fell out. She was probably an intern, I can only assume that. But she was bleeding from her right hip. It was a nasty looking wound, but thankfully not fatal.

"Whoa! Easy there!" I sat her up against the wall, "Some guy named Gilbert told us that there was a Grimm attack."

She shook her head nervously, "It was no ordinary Grimm. It was something worse. They were faster, stronger, smarter. It was..." her eyes closed and she lost consciousness. I immediately proceeded to bring her outside right by Mr. Gilbert.

I dashed back into the tunnels and reported on my radio, "Nimbus here. I've got one injured and I've brought her out. She told me that she saw something different in these Grimm. Stay on your toes!"

I shivered as I saw a trail of blood down the corridor I came down, but I reminded myself that it was that woman's blood. But as I continued on, I found a trail of blood that thickened as I went along. I followed it into a testing chamber and nearly gagged at the sight.

In the middle of the room was a group of maybe twelve scientists, each of them was wounded horribly, but still barely alive. I began to lean on the wall to my left only to discover that it was a cage.

 _ROAR_! A Beowolf's claw came inches away from my face. I had backed away just in time. Seeing that attempting to kill me would prove futile, the Grimm backed away and curled up in the middle of the cage. There were countless other Grimm in the surrounding cages. I fumbled for my radio.

"This is Nimbus. I've picked up multiple casualties, and several Grimm. I'm marking my position now", I pressed a button on my headset.

"What about the Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"That's the weird part. I'm in a testing chamber and there's countless Grimm in here, but they're all safely locked in cages."

"Hold up!" Blake broke in, "Cages?! Grimm die within a few days of being in captivity!"

"Then Marcus must have developed a way to keep them alive", I hypothesized, "But something else is wrong. There's strong evidence that a Grimm ran through here, but there aren't any scratches on the outside of the cages. Grimm will always stick up for one another, and any free Grimm would have fought to free its comrades. And I don't see any broken cages at all. Except for..." I never finished. It was only then that I noticed something in the middle of the room.

In the center of the room was a giant test tube. The glass had been shattered and the liquid above the hole drained away. I scooped up a little of the liquid with my fingers. I then noticed how the same liquid was present in places around the room, jumping from one scientist to the next. It was even present in that blood trail I saw before.

I shivered as I realized that we might be dealing with a new breed of Grimm altogether. What happened was a lab test gone horribly wrong!

"Guys! Get everybody you can out the door and come back to my location! We need to guard these guys until help arrives!" I yelled into the radio.

"Good gosh this is horrible!" Arcee complained, "How many Grimm do you think did this?"

"I know exactly how many. The strange thing is that there is only one. All of this damage was done by a single Grimm!"

(End of Chapter 5)

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO! Beowulf here!  
> Now things are getting interesting. That has to be the freakiest situation, realizing just what you're dealing with and that you may very well be screwed for life. That sends shivers down my spine!  
> If you enjoyed this chapter or any before PUNCH that subscribe button in the face LIKE A BOSS! (Quote JSE) Also PLEASE comment. Only if you want to of course. ; D  
> Just remember, no matter what you have to say, I would be overjoyed to here how much you like my story (or even in the unlikely event that you don't like it).  
> Until next time, this is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	6. Chapter 6: Oblivion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is just about ready to wrap up the mission when all hell breaks loose, and a monster rises from the darkest of shadows.

Chapter 6: Oblivion

(Arcee)

I found Nimbus' report to be a little unrealistic, but then again, I haven't seen even a single Grimm roaming these halls. It didn't make sense as to why the Grimm he spoke of were still alive. Grimm die after a few days in captivity.

None of this made sense.

Let's not forget that Grimm will kill without hesitation. None of the people we found were dead, only severely wounded. Something about this Grimm was different.

There was a slight scuttling on the ground and I whirled around to see a small black creature scurrying across the room. A slinker. It was a rare breed of Grimm that resembles a ferret, or a mongoose, and never grew larger than their animal counterparts. It looked at me for a moment, then scuttled away down the hall.

I heard it squeaking down the hall then heard a human voice, "Is that all? Are you positive, Sly?" squeak, "Keep looking. You know what to do." A human, talking to a Grimm?! I whirled around the corner to see one of the ceiling tiles being placed again.

"Guys! Get everyone out of here ASAP! I don't think that The Grimm our our only concern", I radioed.

"Look, whatever that thing was, it's gone now. You saw the carnage outside", Yang pointed out.

"Alright", Ruby said, "I think that's everyone! How 'bout you Nimbus?"

"I just got the last one out of the testing chamber" he responded, "I'm heading back to there to investigate a little-WHOA!" A collection of roars, hisses and screeches came from his end.

"Nimbus?!" Val called.

"Lock up the lab right now! The Grimm have just busted free of their cages! All of them!"

"That Slink!" I realized, "It must have unlocked the cages!"

"No time to lose!" Blake commanded, "I'll go outside and protect the people! Everybody else, prepare for high levels of Grimm! Bring your A-game!"

"On my way!", I reached for my belt and tapped the button. My jet pack fired up and I zipped down the hallways, stopping when I heard banging from behind a giant metal door large enough to flay a bullhead through. With the power out, the door wouldn't open on its own, so that meant I would have to bust it down. I set my gloves to impact and the hands hid themselves inside the golve to reveal a metal, speaker shaped design. I wound up for the punch, but an arrow of energy shot at me through the door. Though it missed my shoulder, the door was completely torn away, smashing me against the wall and leaving my imprint lodged in the door itself. That was raw power!

"For Boreas!" a battle cry roared out and I heard the sound of Grimm being sliced and diced. I pushed the door away a little and picked up the entire thing. I could see Nimbus picking off Grimm one by one.

I screamed out a battle cry of my own and Nimbus looked my way. "Holy Spetz!" he gasped and ducked down the broken doorway. At the same time, I threw the entire door down the hall smashing through every single Grimm in its way! Nimbus was sitting back to the wall with his jaw dropping and his eyebrow twitching up a storm, "I...didn't hit you did I?"

"You did", I said as i flexed my joints, "That almost hurt."

" _Almost?!"_ he stood up, "No human could survive that without a rebound semblance, and I know you don't have one!"

"That's...complicated. Duck!" He complied as I zipped past him and uppercut an ursa into the ceiling. More Grimm charged down the corridors followed by the rest of the team.

The rest of the creatures were decimated in moments. "Alright!" Ruby and Yang cheered. I activated my semblance and scanned he halls.

"We're clear! I don't sense any other Grimm inside the facility! Wait...Blake! She's injured!" I gasped. We all dashed out of the corridor and ran until we saw Blake nursing a wound in her hip behind a pile of crates.

"Blake!" Val yelled as she leaped over to her like she was on the moon, "What happened?!"

"A sickler happened. I never knew that they could play dead", she groaned as we helped her up.

"Well, you remember what Port told us," Nimbus pointed out, "When in doubt, double tap."

"No one but you remembers what Port teaches", Weiss joked, "Regardless, you need to be more careful next time, Blake."

"Got it", she smiled weakly, "We're human after all. We make mistakes."

"That's right. You just made an even bigger one!" we all gasped as Yang bolted forward and sent Blake flying across the room!

"Yang! What are you doing?!" I yelled at her. Yang only walked over to Blake who had made a crater in the wall.

"Who are you and what have you done with Blake?!" Yang growled as her eyes turned red and her hair began to glow.

"What's your problem?!" Blake struggled to stand, "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because you aren't Blake. You said that we make mistakes because we're human. But the real Blake would have known that she was a Faunus!" Val Nimbus and I gasped.

In that instant, Blake stopped shaking and stood up perfectly fine. A sinister grin crossed her face. "Very perceptive my little sunflower", she spoke. but we heard two different voices, one was Blake's, the other was that of a guy, "Here I was thinking that brawn and brains couldn't fit under one roof. You proved me wrong."

"What's going on?!" Ruby shivered and jumped into Weiss' arms in terror.

"It's an Impostor semblance", I realized, "Those who have it can take on the body and voice of any person they see. Good eye, Yang!"

"Impressive", the impostor's form flickered to that of a tall boy in black clothes with long black hair and a Grimm mask over his eyes. That slink scurried to him and jumped onto his shoulders.

"I don't want to waste your time any longer so I'd best be going. My intentions have nothing to do with you." He turned to walk to the corridor to his right.

"Hold it mister!" Weiss drew her sword and everybody's weapons sprang out, including the real Blake who now stood twenty feet behind the guy.

"Who are you?" the heiress snarled, "Are you with the White Fang?"

The boy cast glances at all of us individually, then frowned, "I have no official name, if that's what you want,  _Schnee._ And I do not side with the White Fang. But if you must refer to me in some way, then you will address me as Oblivion, nothing more and nothing less. Do not get in my way." He spoke calmly, but with the Aural authority of an army commander. he silently walked down the hall to his right while the rest of us stood there overwhelmed. As soon as he left our field of vision, we all snapped out of it and chased after him. But by the time we rounded the corner, we saw that the hall was a dead end and the newly named Oblivion had vanished into thin air. "He must have taken to the rafters!" I sighed as I put my gauntlets into public mode and they began to compact a little.

"We have to go after him!" Nimbus said. but was stopped by Val. "No, our mission was to eliminate all Grimm and save the scientists. We're done here.

It was only a few minutes later that the medics arrived to provide emergency care. There were no fatalities, but everyone, especially the ones in the chamber Nimbus found, were severely wounded. A Vale Bullhead came in to pick up my team mates.

"I can't wait to tell the others!" Ruby squealed as they boarded.

"We have to report to Ozpin first, you dunce!" Weiss corrected, then she turned to me as I took my seat beside them. They all just stared at me silently.

"Is...something wrong?" I questioned.

"Don't you think you might have gotten on the wrong Bullhead?" Blake asked, "This one's going to Beacon Academy."

"Then nothing's wrong", I tilted my head and smiled, "I guess you didn't get the memo. My dad is enrolling me at Beacon. I'm your newest classmate!"

Nimbus and Valentine looked to each other and back to me. Val stood up and shook my hand, "Then that means that you are officially the third member of me and Nimbus' team."Welcome!"

As I became acquainted with my new team, something stirred in the back of my mind. Oblivion. I scanned the area with my semblance to search for him. What was he doing there? There was no possible way that he was the one who destroyed the compound, he was an unarmed human. and despite the fact that he wore a Grimm mask, the people said that the destruction was caused by a Grimm. So I scoured the land as we passed in search of a monster who could have possibly done this.

.

(Oblivion)

 _Good riddance._ If only those people had actually stuck the puzzle pieces together. That "Yang" had one heck of a right hook. But my Impostor Semblance was flawless, it was my acting skills that I needed to work on. I had almost left unnoticed, that accursed Lab. Not many knew what really happened within the confines of the laboratory that night. Everybody thinks they know Marcus Maze. Everyone thinks they know what he was concocting behind those walls.

I knew better, and I should know because...I was there.

Nimbus was very right with his assumption, a lab test gone wrong. That was partially Marcus' handiwork. His work was on the teetering edge of the grey zone, in terms of human and Faunus morality. But I was both, a half-breed. Search closely beneath my hair and you'll see a pair of insect antennae that I can raise or hide on a moment's notice.

Marcus did mean for his tests to bring a better future for mankind, he really did. The means he used to achieving that goal were in that grey area I mentioned. Marcus had a hatred for the Grimm stronger than that of any man. I had a very different point of view.

That's because  _I_ was one of his test subjects. Scratch that. I was  _the_ test subject. The one of present interest. There was no full Grimm who had decimated the labs of Marcus Maze. It was the work of a Half-Breed turned  _Tri-Breed._

As the remaining forces departed and the lab was abandoned, I looked at myself, my real self, in the reflection of a pond lit up by the full moon.

I understood why Blake first assumed that I was a White Fang associate. The Grimm mask I wore, kind of portrayed that message falsely. I thought back on what really happened earlier tonight.

(Beginning Flashback)

My eyes opened and I saw that I was in a test tube, full of a slightly blue, transparent liquid. All I wore was a pair of green waterproof pants.

I was scared. What would happen to me?

Men in white lab coats wandered the room, taking notes of me and the monsters inside of the cages. Grimm, dozens of them, no two were of the same species. I didn't understand how these Grimm could still be alive in captivity. No human can keep a Grimm alive like this. I could faintly hear voices of the humans, and Faunus that crowded the room.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" one asked.

"Trust me, it is."

I had been raised here ever since I was orphaned as a child. But I never imagined that this was what they wanted. I tried to struggle against my bonds, but they only tightened. The leader, Marcus, turned to his colleagues and spoke.

"My dear friends, Faunus and human alike, we face a time of struggle in Remnant. The Grimm are becoming more numerous, more destructive, more difficult to control. The schools have done their part in giving us the start we all needed", he began flipping switches at the control panel, "But it's time to usher in a new era of Huntsmen. I'm sure you all know about the projects we've developed over the years. What we have here", he gestured to me, "will undoubtedly be our first surviving, and successful specimen." My back stung suddenly as the first needles pierced my shoulder blades. I screamed in pain.

"This conflict has led us to a difficult, but unavoidable conclusion: in order to eliminate the Grimm, we must use a Grimm." The needles delivered their cargo and removed themselves from me. Another hit my lower spine, and one hit each of my limbs. Blood began to ooze into the tank, forming ribbon-like formations in the liquid.

"And for this instance, we chose the strongest Grimm we have in our kennels: a record breaking Sickler, a Deathstalker, and a little something extra: the human factor."

No sooner had hose words reached my ears, I felt the pain. The places pierced by the needles ached tremendously and the bonds holding me released to permit growth. I dared not look. That growing pain I felt in my back turned into a tearing pain for a moment and I tried to scream. After two minutes, it was all over. The leader spoke on about this "project" but I had heard enough to understand. I was nothing more than a science project to them. No, I was lower to them. I was merely an expendable variable.

"That is why we must take this path. With this new technology we can customize our Huntsmen down to the semblance they bear."

I looked at myself. My skin had turned black in patches around the puncture marks. Around the center of each, perfectly placed, were bonelike structures resembling the mask of a Grimm. At my wrist, sprouting out just beneath my human hands, was a pair of black mantis claws with translucent blades. Growing out of my lower spine was a long segmented tail with a small golden tip. The tail of a Deathstalker. It was seven feet long. I shivered and my tail wrapped around me. But the next change was behind my back. I could feel a shell. It split open to reveal a pair of insect wings the size of my arms. I shut them tight and held myself in the embrace of my own tail. I felt like a kid holding his blanket. I then felt my face and I grasped a mask, now completely fused over my eyes. I looked to the leader, Marcus. I had trusted this man for years. "How can you people do this to me?" I muttered, crying quietly. I could feel a dark hunger boiling deep inside of me. These Faunus and humans, my own species, had turned me into this monster. Not Grimm, Faunus, nor human. I was nothing more than a freak.

"This model here is the first of our lineup, a Velocion!" My anger flared and I lashed out with a single claw, causing cracks to form in the tube. This rage was inhuman! Then again I wasn't a human or Faunus anymore, was I? I backed up against the other side of the tube and I pushed off, crashing into the broken side. The tube shattered and the liquid poured out, carrying me with it.

"You monster!" I growled as everyone backed off. I dashed forward, slicing four of my captors at their chests. "I refuse! You will suffer at my hands!" The next five minutes were too gruesome to describe. But by the time I had finished, every single person in the room was left barely alive. But Marcus had escaped somehow. I roared in frustration that my target had gotten away from me. That roar, the ferocious scream of a monster. The Grimm in the other cages trembled, backing as far from me as possible. I passed them by. The pain returned briefly as my new features disappeared, like they never existed. I ran through the compound and gathered my clothes. I needed to get out of here. But I made a note to myself. No human, or Faunus could be trusted now. All who crossed me would feel my wrath.

(Ending flashback)

I looked at my moonlit pond reflection. I wrapped my tail around myself for a brief moment. My wings emerged from beneath my jacket through a special design that Marcus designed. Okay, I'll admit that the design was sleek and well engineered. My sickler claws came into existence. They were still coated in the blood of the scientists I attacked. These same claws had destroyed those airships, and the lab. My rage, the rage of an untamed Grimm, had caused so much pain. But I had acted in whatever way would protect me. But I held back enough to spare their lives.

But Marcus was near the bottom of my list of concerns for now. I could disappear into any nation and never be found again if I wanted to. But I had a tragic history to address. Before I could even think about living a normal life, I would settle the score with an entity that caused me pain years ago. Running into Weiss Schnee tonight reminded me of that all too well.

(End of Chapter 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUAHAHAHA! Beowulf has returned!
> 
> It's finally ready! My forth and final OC has hit the pages: the mysterious Oblivion, (Just to annoy him I'll call him Obi).
> 
> As I said during the last several chapters, each of my four OC's will represent the racial powers of Remnant. Nimbus is Faunus, Valentine is Human, and Arcee is machine (synthian). It may or may not have been obvious to you what was left. Obi, the final OC, holds the place of the creatures of Grimm themselves!
> 
> But also note that each of the characters represent their races at the highest of levels. For example: Nimbus as a legendary Faunus breed. Valentine is royalty. Arcee is mechanical engineering at a super-sentient and biological level. And Oblivion rises above all other Grimm because he has a Human (and faunus) mind, and a soul. Yet he has the strength of a Grimm. ( I actually noticed all of this not long before I finished this chapter.)
> 
> But now a question remains. Who will he side with? We'll all see what the future holds in the next chapter!
> 
> One more thing, PLEEEEAASE comment if you like the story. If I have your feedback, I can grow more as a writer.
> 
> This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	7. Chapter 7: Motives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt begins for Blake's "Angel". Meanwhile, a certain tri-breed is ready to begin his crusade

Chapter 7: Motives

(Valentine)

"WHAT?!" Yang and Ruby's shrieks rattled the library. Yang continued, "How could you not have played Wrisk?! It is the king of board games!"

"Give her a break, Yang!" Ruby vouched for me, "Wrisk hasn't been sold in Mistral yet!" Yang silently nodded.

"Don't keep me waiting!" I unfolded the board, "What do I do?" Yang began shuffling the cards and passed out the appropriate number.

"It's easy, you play one of the four kingdoms and you fight armies, monsters,  **and you don't stop until all of Remnant is tight in the palm of your hand!** " She raised her voice and cackled with excitement as she balanced on the chair. She kicked into a back flip off the top of the chair and landed softly back in her seat, "Really, it's fun!"

"You just say that because you. Win all the time. No one but Jaun has come close to beating you."

"I see", I finished the instructions, "I'll be Mistral, naturally."

"OOH! Let me play!" Arcee skidded into the fourth and final seat, "I'm Atlas!"

"I'm Vale!" Yang claimed.

Ruby pouted, "Come on! I always get stuck with Vacuo", but she perked up when she slammed a card down on the table, "But that means that I can launch go full out right out of the gate! I engage Blitzkrieg on Atlas using my Banshee scout fleet!"

Arcee mocked a gasp, "How could you?! This is war! I deploy Dying Valor!"

They battled it out, and out of nowhere, Yang said, "HAHA! Your last attack just activated my trap card: From the Mountains!" Ruby and Arcee both screamed in horror as their armies were swept off the map by Yang's pawns, "I win!" I quickly examined the battlefield and something clicked. That card in my hand and that precise location where Yang's forces were located.

"Not quite!" I whipped out the card and slammed it on top of the "valley". The inside of this card had traces on iron, and there was a magnet inside of that particular part of the board. Connecting the two caused that part of the board to spring open, revealing an areal view of some ancient ruins.

"I enact the a scavenger's card: Blood sacrifice!" Yang's pieces were all thrown off the table as the ancient "deity" was summoned using the blood of the soldiers who fell to Yang's forces, "Divine intervention!"

Yang was furious, "Where the blazes did that come from?!"

"You didn't read the back page of the instructions did you." I flipped to the back page that had a list of similar points. Yang began to sweat profusely, "You did not just do that."

"Yang! You cheater!" Ruby raged after her sister, chasing her around the table until she used her speed semblance to tackle her to the floor, "All of those times I could have won because of that trick!"

I laughed as Arcee hopelessly tried to break up the fight, "Valentine! Get Blake or Weiss! If this doesn't stop soon I'll have to use force!" Even without her gloves, Arcee had incredible physical strength, but she would hate to use it now. So I looked for Blake for a moment and saw her at a desk. I silently looked over her shoulder to see a sketchbook. She was currently drawing a winged figure that looked very familiar. The surrounding area was covered in weapon designs, sketches of people and more. Perhaps I should get Weiss instead. So I walked back.

"Val! I said get Blake!" Arcee was trying to get in between the sisters.

"Look, I would but she seemed rather immersed in that sketchbook of hers."

"WHAT?!" Ruby and Yang instantly stopped their fight and got up in my face.

"Was she upset?!" Ruby asked.

"What was she drawing?!" Yang interrogated me.

"Hey! Calm down! So she's drawing. Big deal", Arcee butted in.

"No, that is a very big biggie!" Ruby insisted, "Sure she always has a book in hand, and sure she's antisocial. But she only pulls out that sketchbook whenever she's really got something big on her mind. The last time she pulled it out she couldn't sleep for a week!"

"Now, I want you to give me a clear answer", Yang grabbed my shoulders and asked me in a manner more serious than I've ever seen her before, "What was she drawing? Was It a guy with a katana, red hair and a mask?"

"No. Nothing of the sort. She drew some awesome pictures of us. Let's not forget to mention that she drew some weapons designs that I never could have dreamed up."

"Was there a...focus of her works? What was the centerpiece?" Yang asked once more.

"I think it was an...angel. I don't know, someone with wings. And she almost seemed to be excited! I don't think I've ever seen Blake smile like that on her own."

Yang and Ruby gasped then squealed with delight.

"That is something completely different altogether!" Ruby said hopping up and down excitedly, "She only draws things and people that she's seen before at some point. She must have seen an angel!"

"I don't think that was an angel you're thinking of", Arcee corrected, "I'm pretty sure that the most logical explanation is that the winged figure is a Faunus."

"That makes a lot more sense", Yang put her hand on her chin, then she continued, "Actually, that makes perfect sense! You remember the stories that she told us about the Halcyons right? She always said that everything would change if the Halcyon Faunus were still around. She must have seen one!"

I regretted to inform them that the drawing, although the centerpiece, was incomplete. The one group of things that the figure lacked were facial features. For now, all we could do was watch the skies for Blake's archangel.

.

(Nimbus)

Late that night, I got dressed, slipped out of the school campus and out to the side of a cliff to Forevermore Oak. Forevermore Oak was a large live oak that had taken a strong hold to the edge of the cliff, and school legends told that its roots stretched out as far as the clock tower of Beacon, so it supposedly had the most firm hold possible. I climbed up the tree to the top branch that almost acted like a loft. I looked out at the stars, heck I could faintly see the lighter blue interstellar clouds of the Milky Way! I unfurled one of my wings and held it up to the stars. My crystal flight feathers blended in if the nebula formations weren't there.

I began to think back on the past several days. I had thought that I would get my first two team mates in a few weeks, as opposed to the few short days it had really taken.

Then I thought on Stratos. I missed my friends and the little family I had left there. What would they think if they came here to Remnant? I wondered if they would side with the White Fang. I would have no choice but to fight if that happened.

With this in mind, I began to sing a song called Skyward Heart. Something else: many Halcyons are essentially songbirds and have a range of voice that bests any other race. I don't mean to brag, but everyone back home has always told me that I have the best singing voice. I can't really give you any other unbiased answer. Singing calmed my nerves every time.

While in mid-verse, however, I was interrupted by a pair of hands wrapping around my waist! "Oh Spe-!" a finger to my lips shut me up.

Yet another person had seen my wings, "Don't speak, Nimbus", a soft voice whispered, "You don't how much this means to me." I could not discern who it was just yet. Whoever it was, she was almost my height, had light skin, and was moderately curved. I could hear the sound of purring, like a cat.

I opened my mouth to speak but was silenced when the girl leaned her head almost over my shoulder and tenderly kissed the side of my neck. I reached back with my hand to find a strand of long black hair and a pair of cat ears on top of her head. I shivered as my natural instincts made me alert. I turned my head to her once she let my neck go, but she instantly reached up, put her hands on the back of my head and kissed me on the lips.

I went weak at the knees and we both slid down the trunk of the tree and back to solid ground. The girl sat on top of my stomach, laying down on my chest as she kissed me. My first kiss.

It wasn't until she broke the kiss ten seconds later to reveal the one girl who I least expected.

She was Blake Belladonna.

Now in the light of a full (shattered) moon, I could see a pair of black cat ears that had once been hidden beneath her bow. Part of this made me absolutely terrified. You see, Halcyons have a natural wariness of members of the feline race. After all, cats typically fed on any birds they could get their claws on. I guess the same fear made me scared of Blake. Let's not forget that she was granting me my first kiss, _and_  she knew my secret. My wings almost seemed to curl up, trembling, and for once in my life, I couldn't do anything. Blake saw my fear and gently brushed my cheek with her hand, successfully calming me down a little.

"Look, I promise I won't tell anyone. I understand that it must mean a lot to you. I spoke to Ozpin and he explained it to me."

"That's not very reassuring", I struggled to say. My wings, folded back a little more.

"I'm sorry about this, but I had to talk to you in private. I have to know. Why did your kind disappear?" Blake asked kindly.

I was reluctant to respond at first, but I answered, "The war. We took the war hard enough to isolate ourselves from civilization for centuries, from both humans and other Faunus alike. I know I might have come on my own initiative, but I don't think Stratos will share my beliefs", I closed my eyes for a moment, "I'm sure that everyone forgot about what we did back then."

"No. Do you honestly think that you have been forgotten? The people of Remnant look to you as heroes who sacrificed everything to end the war, even if it meant bloodshed of your own. The human and Faunus see you all as legends!"

After a short pause, she continued, "I just couldn't hold it in when I heard that you were here, the real you. I've hoped for something that can end the trouble down here, and...I just think that your return would be the boost we need to end the conflict down here." Now that was much more comforting. My trembling stopped and I extended my wings to wrap around Blake and myself.

"Not yet. I'm...just not ready for that sort of commitment yet. I have to settle down first, and establish myself as a huntsman first. I want to try and make a good impression when the time comes." She leaned in for another kiss tilting her head this time. She held me tight and i held her just as tight with my arms and wings. She completely took over the situation until we both ended it.

"Then why are you still kissing me?" I blushed as I said, "Not that I have a problem with it."  _Again_ she pulled me into a kiss, much shorter, but this one had a flash of tongue. She pulled away for the last time, licking her lips and smiling.

"I just wanted to thank you. You just...gave me a better sense of hope. You're arrival here just gives me one more reason to fight on."

Now my nervousness was practically gone. We began to lean in one more time for another exchange, but we were interrupted when a Bullhead parked right outside the doors of the school. Ozpin met a man at the door, backed up a little in shock, then ran back inside in a hurry.

Within moments, lights went on in the dorms as JNPR, RWBY, and my team were woken up. "Three teams at once?!" I gasped as I hid my wings and ran to the messenger.

"What happened?!" I asked him.

"Good you guys are out early! Get in we'll all be leaving for Schnee Headquarters in Atlas momentarily. It's the White Fang!"

.

(Oblivion) (White Fang meeting)

The Schnee family would suffer tonight. And I would see to it under the mask of the White Fang. I've heard about how the Schnee and the Fang had been fighting for years, why exactly is beyond me. But in order to sneak in, I had to prove to them that I was "Faunus". So I had to show my antennae. They were rather pleased to have someone such as myself in their ranks and that I had already picked up my issued Grimm mask. If only they knew the truth.

I used my semblance to "suit up" in White Fang standard issue armor and they offered me a gun. I was reluctant at first, but they insisted. I thought about that incident years ago as I was loaded up into a bullhead. I remembered how I had suffered, how  _they_ had suffered. Nothing was left in me but a sense of hatred. The hatred of a Grimm.

The lieutenant rolled down the aisle checking up on each soldier in a roll call. Each person was given a nickname. But they came to me and the jackal eared Faunus looked over the list twice. "You there", he said as I stood up in response, "you don't appear on this list."

"Private Apollo Noctos. The higher ups placed me in the convoy last minute. I was code named Mantis, sir." I lied.

A female Faunus stood up at the front and said, "He speaks the truth sir. I was there when Captain Ryan gave him clearance to join."

"Hmm. Alright then Mantis. Welcome to the White Fang."

"Glad to be here, sir", I smirked evilly as he walked away, "It's about time that justice was dealt." He looked back over his shoulder with a smile of agreement.

A minute later the bay doors opened. "Go! Go! Go!" someone yelled as we stormed the scene. Our target was the Schnee Dust Foundry in Atlas.

"This is Boris speaking", someone said over the com-link, "Just to recap, Group Feral has to go in and take all the dust you find. Slipstream will eliminate all opposition standing in your way. Do not hesitate to use lethal force!"

But I broke off from the group and deactivated the tracking system. I wasn't going to either place and I had no interest in Dust. I rounded the facility and placed issued explosives on my selected targets. When the time came I would set them all off at once with a remote detonator.

The Schnee's hired soldiers had confronted the White Fang. But all of a sudden the fighting stopped as a person from each side stepped forward. One was the soldier who addressed me on the bullhead. The other was a man with long grey hair and a scar over his left temple. All of the other soldiers got behind their respective leaders and stood back. Both of them pulled out swords and circled each other. But now that my plan was set to go, I could wait for the right moment to strike. Swords clashed far below. No one could land a hit for the first two minutes. Then all of a sudden the ground exploded at Boris' feet, sending him to the ground.

"This is the end!" the guard said as he raised his sword to strike.

"You're right", I said, dropping from the ceiling. The guard had looked up from the fight but he received a claw to the chest. "I'm sorry Boris, but his one's mine." I removed the blade and the guard collapsed.

"Well done Mantis. Justice has been done!"

"Indeed", I said. Blood splattered and both crowds gasped to see what just happened. I did the one thing that no one expected, my left claw had pierced all the way through Boris' chest. He fell to his knees.

"You traitor!" he wheezed, "How could you betray your own people?!"

I smiled, "It's simple really. I am not a Faunus. I  _was_ a half breed."

Boris reached for my mask in an attempt to remove it. But he discovered that it was stuck tight.

"Then why attack the Schnee?" the guard wheezed, "That makes you human!"

"Seven years ago, Granite Bark. Does the name Eastman ring any bells, Captain Isaac ?" was all that I said. With that, I slashed with my claw, sending Boris to the ground in a pool of his own blood, "No matter. If you remember me or not is a minute point now. I will be the one to end this fight, right here, right now. I don't care if you are human or Faunus! You have both wronged me. The only race that has ever done any good for me", my claws, tail and wings exploded from beneath the armor, "were the creatures of Grimm! It is thanks to their powers that you will feel the wrath of Oblivion!"

(End of Chapter 7)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beowulf here!
> 
> You already knew that Oblivion has a grudge against the Schnee. But backstabbing the White Fang because of another personal agenda?! Who saw that coming?
> 
> Nevertheless, Obi is already dropping hints about his past. Things are about to get serious in the next chapter.
> 
> Second, Nimbus' life. Just as he's in the middle of a moment that could have led to a flashback, Black comes out of nowhere. I was expecting Val or Yang to make the first move, but Blake?! It takes a lot to make that happen. Nimbus you lucky son of a Grimm.
> 
> Back to the Atlas situation, Beacon's going all out with the response team. But I'm not worried about Obi being defeated. What I'm worried about is whether or not Beacon's best will be enough.
> 
> I might have just created a monster.
> 
> In any case, like, subscribe, throw me a KUDOS, all that. But please comment! (Seriously, I haven't picked up a single comment thus far! What am I doing wrong?! (JK))
> 
> This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	8. Chapter 8: NOVA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A White Fang raid on the Schnee Dust refinery in Atlas goes awry when Oblivion intervenes. Hearing news of this, Weiss convinces Ozpin and Goodwitch to let teams RWBY, Juniper, and our unnamed team of three, go to restore order.
> 
> But our incomplete team won't stay that way much longer.

Chapter 8: NOVA

(Arcee)

I was in a bullhead with the response teams on my way back to Atlas. That was the second big attack in less than two days! But It was the White Fang this time. And they were knocking on Weiss' front door. Blake and Weiss were the most upset about this, but why the former was so worked up was beyond me. I would have to be careful not to overexert myself; regardless of who they were, they were still Faunus, people. Unless there was no other way, killing was out of the question.

I began to attempt contact with the guards on the ground. "This is Beacon response team to ground. Beacon to ground. Do you read?" Static. "Ground forces this is Beacon response team. Please respond, over." Static. Then a voice came through.

"This is Sargent Marco, Schnee security. I read you loud and clear, over."

"This is Arcee, from Strauss Laboratories with Weiss Schnee. We're approximately four minutes out and we need an idea of what we're facing. Over."

"It's bad. They just came out of nowhere! No! Captain Isaac is down! I repeat! Captain Isaac is down! He was dueling with that Fang leader, Boris and some other guy jumped in and stabbed him in the back!" There was a series of horrified gasps on the other end, "Scratch that! He just took down Boris too!" A horrifying screech nearly overloaded the mic on his end, "No! What the hell are you?! Stay back! Stay-", the line went dead. Everybody was listening in over my shoulder.

"Do you think it's a Grimm?" Weiss asked.

"I don't think, I know it's a Grimm. We're here!"

The door opened up and all of us piled out of the bullhead. The situation here was very identical to Marcus Maze's Lab attack. The siege here was happening right in front of us. The soldiers, once fighting as a group, scattered around the compound, breaking into separate fights. But there were a few of the soldiers that had completely forgotten about the siege and were trying to get to safety. I even saw a Fang and a Guard standing back to back as they turned corners. I fired up my jetpack and dropped beside them, causing both of the paranoid soldiers to take aim at me.

"Hey! Chill out guys, I'm a Huntress." The faunus walked over to the wall and slid to the ground in exhaustion.

"This was not in the job description!" the guard looked around in panic.

"There's no point in even being here with that guy... _thing_ running around here! No one's ever defeated Boris before!" the faunus hyperventilated.

"Calm down, both of you!" Weiss, joined me, "Once this thing is brought under control we will assist the wounded without discrimination."

"Why the hell should we believe you, Schnee?" he growled until I set my Gauntlets to cannon mode and he shut up.

"Right now, neither side of this fight has the luxury of bickering among themselves", I clarified, "If you all don't leave or do something productive you might-"

_**BOOM!**  _The building behind them exploded, throwing the faunus back towards us. At the exact same time, seven other explosions went off around the compound.

"The hell?" The Fang guy rubbed his head, "Those were our issue explosives, trigger detonated! This was a Dust retrieval mission, not an all out assault!"  
I activated my semblance and scanned the compound. A single figure leaped out of one of the burning structures.

"I don't think the White Fang is in control of this fight anymore," I stopped the scan, "it's that thing! The one from Marcus' Laboratory!"

.

(Oblivion)

This entire exploit was working out even better than I'd predicted. The Fang's forces and Bullheads were shot, and The Schnee factory and security force was in just as bad a shape.

Chaos, destruction, fear. My work here was done.

I almost let my Grimm form disperse but I was interrupted.

"YOU!" a familiar voice called out to me. I turned around to see the giant gauntlet girl from that ragtag team that I met in the labs not long before.

"You guys have a bad habit of following me around. That's rather rude of you."

"You have a habit of bringing disaster behind you", she snarled, "Did you cause this?!"

"So what if I did? It doesn't concern you."

I dodged out of the way of the robed girl's strike and she, said, "You're right! It concerns all of us!"

"Ah, the famous Valentine Vance of Mistral. I didn't recognize you before."

Pain shot through my right shoulder as an energy arrow shot down from the top of the warehouse, a good distance away.

"That actually hurt you know", I said as my arm secreted black smoke and healed, "Since you all seem to want a fight, I won't have any choice but to leave."

"Guys, I found him! Everyone close in on my position, but use extreme caution. It's a special case." I narrowed my eyes. I saw a shadow in the doorway behind me and I dodged out of the way of a bullet coming from a girl in black.

I dashed for the other door and collided with a girl with fiery yellow hair. I dodged a punch from a pair of Vulcan Gauntlets (as I liked to call them) and slipped past her in the hall, quickly losing them.

No one had seen my natural form yet, so all I had to do was get out of here alive and then I could live a semi-normal life. I was only moments from that. I had reached the exit and I breathed in the cool night air without stopping. There was a full moon. But before I could take to the skies, a gale of rose petals blew past me. I stopped dead in my tracks in surprise. I hadn't accounted for this last one to be trailing me. I had to think fast.

I coiled my tail around myself as a first line of defense. I had to think like the predator that I had become, not prey. The rose petals got caught up in the wind, blowing in front of my face. One blew across my eyes and a red and black figure now stood in the tree behind it. Rose petals flowed off of a red cape and hood. The aura coming from this girl was indescribable. Something about her stood out from the others. I flipped open my claws. She smiled, then disappeared in a gust of rose petals. I leaped up just in time to dodge three gunshots from my right. I saw her and she had a sniper rifle in hand then she disappeared again. All of a sudden there she was again, coming right at me from the complete opposite direction! No one on earth could be this fast. Her sniper rifle twirled in her hand and changed into a giant red scythe, a beautiful weapon in every sense of the word.

She met my blade with hers and I caught my first full glimpse at her face. I was surprised to find that this girl was only fifteen, two years younger than her fellow team mates. My eyes caught her finger moving towards a trigger, and I realized that this weapon, even in this form, was still a gun, and that its previous form only suppressed its kick. I ducked as the scythe sliced over my head with extra force. Using another shot, she darted off in a circle around me, rose petals forming a cyclone in the air. I could barely see her now. It would only be a matter of time before she did a complete ninety degree turn back towards me. No sooner had I thought that, she darted in, scratching my right shoulder. I winced but barely dodged the second. The third time came, but this time I stretched out my tail and tripped her. She rolled to a stop with her scythe ten feet away. My Grimm side began to take over a little more. I walked over to her, picked her up and held her against the tree.

"You have heart, human. You put up a hell of a fight." My tail stretched out and put the point close to her neck. "I admire your skill, and at such a young age too."

"Let her go!" a girl's voice called. I turned around to see the two girls and the guy I saw before, plus seven others. I whirled around and held a blade to Ruby's throat.

"Don't come another step closer. I don't want to have to do this to someone with her talent, but I will if it means getting out of here." The girl in yellow and the guy with the orange hair prepared to fight. But a girl in white stepped forward.

"You had your chance to fight and you all let him slip away", then she said to me, "Despite the fact that you are a Grimm, I can only assume that you have the decency to accept a challenge."

I removed my tail. "A challenge?"

"Right. You let Ruby go and you and I will fight, alone."

"Weiss, don't!" Ruby said, "Get Professor Ozpin if anything. Don't fight him!" I released Ruby and let her run back to the others.

"I accept, but the others may not interfere."

She nodded and turned to Ruby, "I've never let the team down before," she drew a rapier and pointed it at me, "and I swear on the name of Schnee that I won't start now."

My inner Grimm was pleased by this. The others ran off to the entrance of the building.

"Weiss, is that it? You're even more guts than Ruby", I flipped open my claws, "But I see an problem between us. I was wrong in what I said last night. One of my concerns does involve you. Prepare yourself, Weiss Schnee! Today I shall have my revenge!"

I dashed forward and scissor sliced with my claws. Without hesitation, she back flipped, kicking my blades away. A glyph formed on the ground at her feet and she practically flew forward towards me. A glyph semblance. We parried twice before she backed off. She didn't rely on surprise like Ruby did. She was an upfront fighter, just like me. And she fought with a type of elegance that I had never seen before. It completely contrasted my primal fighting style. On the next attack, her sword glowed red and my attack was completely repelled from the blade. It was like a trampoline. The glow faded, leaving me to wonder just what the heck that was.

A yellow gear glyph formed at her feet and she dashed forward with blinding speeds. I tried to pull the same trick I did before, but she completely dodged my tail. Not only was she moving fast, she could see where she was going. I struggled to hold her back before the glyph's affect faded. I then snapped out my wings and zipped into the skies. I needed to come up with a plan. But before that could happen, Weiss had jumped up there to my height. I growled and zipped away again, and she responded by mid-air glyph jumping to me again! I dove back down and she followed. Only this time she got a little too close and I swiped at her left eye. I made a light scratch, but she screamed, backing away in shock.

I noticed that there was an old scar over that eye, and I must have opened it up again.

Like all Grimm, I could smell the aura coming off of her. I sensed pain in every sense. Perhaps it was from childhood. Whatever it was, it was somehow related to that scar.

"So you know pain", my Grimm muttered loud enough for her to hear, "Betrayal, broken heart. On the inside you and I are essentially the same." A tear dripped down her face as she stabbed her sword, now glowing in a multicolored fashion, into the ground.

"Bastard! Don't ever attack the little pride I have left!" the ground in front of her exploded as an underground glyph sent fragments of stone into the air in front of her. A black glyph caught it all then turned red as she rapid fired earthen shrapnel at me. I gritted my teeth as I realized my fatal mistake. She twirled her sword and I noticed how a part of the hilt twisted around to turn the blade into the same color as one of the many points on the dial. A ring of glyphs appeared around us and she bounced from glyph to glyph, attacking me as she went.

"We. Are not. The. Same!" she said in between slices, not giving me a second to recover. "Unlike you, I'm not a soulless monster!" she zipped past me, doubling her speed and landing a successful blow against my left shoulder. The last glyph turned black and she stuck to it. Her blade turned blue, shooting out a line of ice on the ground, freezing me from the waist down. Her blade glowed white and the glyph went red as she struck me before I could register it. My chest exploded in my own blood and the ice shattered, allowing me to fall to my knees. My Grimm receded leaving me there to bask in this pain. I couldn't do anything but curl my tail around myself as I collapsed in the fetal position, all Grimm features, save for the tail, fading away. I lost. Weiss knelt down beside me knowing full well that I wouldn't dare get back up again. Finally my mask had disappeared. Weiss gasped silently as she saw that I was in fact a human (at least she thought I was a human).

"I told you that I know pain. I was betrayed, just like you were. They turned me into this", I coughed up blood, and all went black, "We...are..the same."

(Nimbus)

It was Oblivion himself! I knew somehow that he was involved in the lab assault, but I never imagined that he was the Grimm who attacked the lab. That explained why he wore the mask. I dropped beside Weiss as she knelt down beside him.

"Why?" she asked to no one in particular, "What would drive one man to do all of this?"

"Ha ha! We've got them on the run! but they're sending in the big guys to cover", Nora said over the radio.

"Then we send in our heavy hitters!" I responded, "Yang, Nora, and Jaun, you guys get in there."

"But Nimbus, you said to save that for a later time!" Jaun said to me.

"Well this is different! Feel free to cut loose, Arc!"

"Jaun! It's too dangerous!" Pyrah objected.

"Let him go Pyrah. I originally wanted him to save this for when he went to spar with you again but desperate times call for desperate measures. Attention all response team! Stay out of Jaun's line of sight if you don't want to get flattened!"

"Did you train him in private?" Rin spoke up, obviously in a fight of his own, "I thought he had trouble accessing his aura."

"It's all in how you visualize it." As soon as I said that, a golden streak blasted through the wall of the building and into another. Weiss and I were blown away by the shock wave.

"What the hell?!" she complained.

"WOO-HOO-HOO! I taught him that!" I laughed in sheer joy.

"They're almost to their bullheads! Don't let them escape!" Blake commanded.

I heard a light chuckling behind me as Oblivion sat up, leaning on his elbow, "I got them." He coughed up a glob of blood before he pulled a detonator out of his jacket and pressed the button.  _BOOM!_ Four different explosions lit up the outside of the compound.

"You blew up the bullheads?" I turned to him.

"Like I was going to let those bastards get away for what they did to me. I hate them even more than the Schnee." Upon hearing this Weiss pinned him to the ground and slapped his cheek as hard as she could. Oblivion took it without even flinching.

"Tell me why!" she demanded, "What did we do to deserve this?!" a tail of a Deathstalker extended behind Weiss and hooked around her neck without hurting her.

"Are you really that oblivious to your father's dealings within the past few years? How many people, human and Faunus, died at Granite bark six years ago? Ask your father the true details and tell me why I really should take your life as recompense."

A squeak sounded off to his left as a little creature ran towards Oblivion. In response, Oblivion removed his tail and caught the creature on his shoulder.

"Grimm!" I said as I drew my bow and fired. Oblivion batted the shot away with the blunt side of one of his claws.

"Relax. He's harmless. This little slink has been my partner in crime ever since I was admitted to the lab. You did a good job out there Sly." The slink licked his cheek. Alright! I'll admit that no Grimm has ever looked that cute before. The roar of engines forced the slink to hide in Oblivion's jacket.

An Atlesian Militarty airship came in and dozens of drones dropped in to secure the White Fang.

"Alright, men we can take it from here. Excellent job!"

"Again with the flash entrance, James", Glenda Goodwitch said, "I'm collecting our groups and we're heading home."

A bullhead swooped in and landedright beside us and Oz stepped out to see us.

"Well, that was a rather surprising turn of events", he pushed up his glasses, "It's probably going to be a while before the Fang tries anything again." By now, most of the team had gone into the bullhead and were watching us.

"I have a vague idea that you were the monster from Maze's lab."

"I'm not denying it. I don't have anything else to hide", he retorted.

"I tapped into the radios and heard the whole conversation. I understand that you may feel like the victim in many ways, but that doesn't change the fact that you severely injured and almost killed dozens of people. However, there is no denying that your strength in combat is almost unparalleled", Oz helped him stand up and all of his Grimm features showed, "It would be such a waste to have someone like you locked away in prison."

"What are you insinuating old man?" Oblivion questioned.

"For starters, I'm not as old as I look. Two, I've been given the authority to let you choose your fate. Either you can spend years in prison in Atlas", then Oz gestured to the bullhead with his cane, "Or you can come to Beacon, and hone your abilities for a greater purpose. I don't think you'll get an offer like this from anyone else."

By now, everyone, was face faulting. I didn't want this guy at Beacon, specifically on  ** _my_** team. Oblivion was rather bewildered by this offer and stood still. Oz turned to go back to the bullhead when Oblivion responded. "Alright. I don't have anywhere else to go, so I might as well go."

"Then I wouldn't stand around there", Oz stepped into the Bullhead as it lifted off the ground, "You still have a bright future ahead of you, Oliver Eastman." Oblivion staggered upon hearing him. But he smiled as his mask dissolved, revealing a pair of eyes with bright red irises. He flipped out his wings, like a beetle, and flew up to the deck, where it all dissolved upon landing.

"So, now what?" Val asked as the door closed ant the ship took off, "Did we really just recruit a Grimm?"

"No, we have recruited a human. His powers may be Grimm based, but he is still human, and will be treated as such."

The newly named Oliver hesitated before he corrected him, "Sir, I'm not a human, I'm a half breed." A pair of pointy black antennae, sprang up from his hair which matched in color.

"Ooh! Let me see! Let me see!" Nora grabbed his antennae from behind and tackled him to the floor while he comically complained for her to stop. We all laughed.

"Case and point", Oz pointed out, "But in any case, Oliver's arrival marks a special day for three of you here." He motioned for my team and Oliver to step forward, facing him. He put his hands on the shoulders of me and Oliver, "This makes four, a full team. Nimbus Altos, Oliver Eastman, Valentine Vance, and Arcee Strauss. I am happy to welcome you fully to Beacon Academy. Together, you are now Team NOVA, led by Nimbus Altos! May your studies and exploits be used for the good of Vale and all of Remnant."

The other teams rushed forward to congratulate all of us. Oliver was probably not used to this sort of attention. We were all still very wary of him, and probobly would be for a little while.

But then I looked at myself. I was the team leader. True, we might be one of the most unusual teams that ever existed in the history of Huntsmen, but we might just be something great given time.

I just wish my father was around to see this.

(End of Chapter 8)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEYOO! Beowulf here once again!
> 
> It's been a long time since I've posted here and I've got plenty of Chapters stockpiled right now, but I'm not just going to give it all to you at once! Where's the fun in that? So expect an update soon.
> 
> Anyways, if you like what you see, BLAST THAT LIKE BUTTON INTO OBLIVION AND BEYOND! And please Comment!
> 
> This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


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